Mr And Mrs Jackson
by Cerulean Apocalypse
Summary: Percy and Annabeth are a married couple who seem to have it all: a nice house, a loving marriage... And a secret double life as an assassin that the other has no knowledge of. When trouble strikes their rival agencies, each is ordered to take out the other, resulting in heartbreak, betrayal, an all- out war between agencies, and weird foreign tchotchkes. AU.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: This is based loosely on the movie Mr. And Mrs. Smith, which I do not own. I do not own Percy Jackson, either. However, the plot will be different and uses different characters and more subplots. Also, this story is rated T for a reason. There will be adult language, sexual references and mentions of alcohol and such. Finally, I'd just like to say: the opinions about murder expressed in this story are not mine. It's just for the sake of entertainment.

Prologue: Everything Strange Washes Up in Miami...

One thing you should know about assassins: they don't like to wait. Most of them, if asked about their least favorite part of the job, will say it's waiting for their target to arrive. A few get jumpy and nervous because it gives them time to think about what they're going to do. Some just get really, really bored and impatient. And when assassins get impatient, anything can happen.

Percy Jackson fell into that second category. He was an assassin highly trained in martial arts, sharpshooting, endurance, and a variety of other skills that only came in handy when your life was constantly in danger. He also had a basic instinct that told him when something wasn't right, which was very useful when he actually listened to it. Currently, he was in one of the touristy hotel bars of Miami, sitting at the counter as he waited.

However, all of this didn't really prevent him from noticing the pretty blonde woman in the corner, who seemed to be having an equally hard time not noticing him.

..~0~..

The blonde was in fact named Annabeth Chase. She was a top- level assassin, known for her intelligent, well- formulated, and (almost) unfailing plans. She liked to think that she controlled her emotions fairly well, and appeared to the world as a confident, and poised young woman. Which she was, of course, but that didn't mean that she was above noticing attractive men. Besides, she also fell into the second category of assassins.

So she made her way across the room, while keeping a close watch out of the corner of her eyes in case her target arrived early.

..~0~..

She orders a strawberry daiquiri. He orders a scotch on the rocks. Their eyes met, and it was one of those moments when you just have to say something. Finally, he breaks the silence, saying, "Not from around here, are you?"

Something about this simple statement rubs her the wrong way, and she replies coolly, "No, actually I'm not. How can you tell?"

He shrugged casually. "Nothing. Just a lucky guess." In truth, it was because he'd noticed the Yankees cap sticking out of her pocket, but he didn't want it to seem like he'd been watching her or something.

"Yeah. What about you?" she asks. "New York?"

He raises his eyebrows. Maybe it wouldn't have seemed creepy to point the Yankees cap. "Yeah. Lucky guess, or are you psychic?"

"Neither. I just recognized the accent. I spent some time there, when I was a teenager." Nicely done, Chase, she thought.

He sat forward a little. This could turn into an interesting conversation. "Oh, cool. Where'd you go in New York?"

"Long Island," she said. "I went to summer camp there." She would just leave it at that. It wouldn't do to tell him that she'd spent every summer until she graduated college training to kill.

He waited for her to elaborate. When she didn't, he wondered if she was playing coy to get him interested. If that was the case, then it was working. "Really? I used to go to summer camp, too. I loved it."

She gave him a strange, piercing look, as if he was a problem she was trying to figure out. "So did I."

He shifted a little. "Yep. Well-" He broke off suddenly, noticing a man enter the bar and go through a door in the back of the room. His target. Suddenly, instinct took over. "I've gotta go. Bye." He slid off the bar stool and stealthily followed the man through the door.

She probably would have noticed something suspicious about the way he slunk off if she hadn't been distracted by another strange man passing through the bar. Her target had arrived. "Nice meeting you," she murmurs absentmindedly as she makes her way toward her target.

..~0~..

There are some myths about assassins that we should probably dispel before the story goes any further. First, there's this whole idea that assassins are cold- blooded killers who have no remorse and would happily kill innocent people just for fun. They aren't. All right, there was the occasional psycho, but those were usually fired. The whole point of hiring an assassin is to kill someone who's a serious, dangerous threat. The agencies Percy and Annabeth worked for were actually very strict about the kind of services they offered. To hire an assassin, you had to have a serious, legitimate reason and proof that a person truly deserved to be killed.

Back when Percy was still in training, he was terrified of the idea of actually killing someone. He knew that the people he'd have to kill would mostly be terrorists, gang leaders, drug dealers, and the occasional serial killer, but the thought of actually taking someone's life once chilled his blood. But the first time he killed someone, it wasn't like that at all. It was as if he'd done something to rid the world of a threat. He hadn't taken joy from the actual task of killing, really, but after he thought about it for a while, he figured that somewhere, he'd prevented some innocent person from dying.

Annabeth felt a bit differently her first time assassinating someone. She honestly felt that she wasn't doing anything wrong. The man she was supposed to take out was wanted for murder and assault. Yet somewhere in her mind, she doubted herself. Her worst fear was that she'd be in an alley, pointing her gun at him, and she somehow wouldn't be able to do it. He'd get away, and she'd fail herself and have to live with the guilt of letting an evil person go. But when she actually did end up in the alley, pointing her gun at the man, she felt a strange sense of power and pride, like she was doing something right. And really, when you got down to it, she was.

Another myth is that they all wear tight black leather catsuits. This idea is so stupid that I'm not even going to bother explaining it, so I'll just get on with the story, shall I?

..~0~..

She stabbed the man in the chest and muffled his screams until she was sure he was dead. Then, she went through the basic cleanup procedure: wipe down any surfaces, get rid of the body (this process is a bit too gross to describe) and put everything in the dark hotel hallway back as it was.

Suddenly, she heard voices. "I thought I heard something weird back here," said one voice, which sounded like it belonged to a young man.

"I don't hear nothin'," replied another man. Their footsteps got closer. Annabeth cursed herself and sprinted away. To her annoyance, the footsteps got closer. Quickly, she dove into the nearest closet, only to find that it was occupied already. By the man she had met in the bar earlier.

..~0~..

Percy was hiding in there for the same reason she was: hiding from a woman who passed the scene of his... assignment a little too close for his liking. Then, the woman from the bar showed up and tried to steal his hiding pace. He quickly covered her mouth and whispered, "Shh. Be quiet." After what seemed like an eternity, the footsteps faded away. He removed his hand.

Almost immediately, the blonde woman demanded, "What are you doing in here?"

"I could ask you the same question," he replied curtly.

She shrugged. "Uh, it's a little embarrassing, but, um, did you hear that guy out there? That was my, um, ex. See, we broke up a month ago, and it was really awkward. So I didn't exactly want to see him. What's your excuse?"

He tried to think of one, but couldn't. So he just answered, " Oh, that's a weird coincidence. So was I." _Wow, Jackson, couldn't you come up with anything better?_ He thought to himself.

She gave him another strange look, but seemed to accept his answer. "You wanna get out of here?" she asked, turning to open the closet door.

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea." Impulsively, he offered, "Can I buy you a drink, if you're not busy?"

For a moment she looked like she was going to decline his offer, but then she said, "What the heck. Sure. My name's Annabeth Chase, by the way."

"I'm Percy Jackson." They shook hands and left the closet together.

..~0~..

Maybe it wasn't a smart idea for Annabeth to wander off with some guy she'd just met. Maybe it wasn't the best idea to let him buy her a drink. It definitely wasn't a good idea to lean in and let him kiss her. But all she was thinking was that it felt so right. They left the bar and ran out into the streets. Percy says that he heard about an outdoor concert earlier. He asks her if she wants to check it out. And she goes with him. They don't know the name of the bad, but she always remembered the lyrics of the song they danced to all night long.

I'll never be the same, if we ever meet again,

Won't let you get away, if we ever meet again

Neither of them was sure how long they danced there, but they both knew it was some time later that she took him to her hotel room. The next morning, they woke up together, and neither of them could help but feel that it was the start of something good.

End of Chapter

AN: please review. Praise, constructive criticism, even flames if you think it's necessary. Just please, please tell me what you think. Was it boring? Was it OOC? Should I continue?


	2. Chapter 2: Staying Secretive

Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who reviewed. All reviews will be answered at the end of the chapter. This chapter will just be snippets of their early relationship, secret life, engagement, and marriage. Please, please, please review at the end.

Chapter 2: Getting Serious and Staying Secretive

He takes a deep breath and dials the number. The phone rings and he has an absurd desire to hang up quickly before she can reject him, but he takes a deep breath and waits for her to answer.

"Hello?" she says.

"Annabeth?"

"Oh, hi Percy," she says. He relaxes a little.

"Yeah, it's me. I wasn't sure you'd remember."

"It's kind of hard to forget," she admits. Inwardly, she curses herself for revealing that. "So, what's up?"

"Um, I was wondering, I'm going to the Pavilion* on Saturday and I was wondering if you'd want to go. I mean, I have an extra ticket, and none of my friends are around, so... Do you want to go?" The Pavilion was an amusement park about an hour's drive away from Manhattan. He knew she lived in the city, too, so it didn't sound like he'd gone especially out of his way. Or did it?

She pauses. She has an assignment to do on Friday night but she'd have time, right? "Sure, of course."

"Okay, great. I'll see you around nine, then?" "Great," she replies, and hangs up feeling strangely excited. ..~0~..

"Details. Now," demands Thalia. She aims her arrow at the target in the training center of their agency and releases it, hitting the target dead center.

Annabeth shrugs. "I don't know, Thal. It was just a date."

"Oh, it was just a date," mimics Piper. She and Annabeth were practicing hand- to- hand combat. She threw a few punches, which Annabeth dodged nimbly, but knocked her over with a kick to the back of her knees. She turned serious. "No, really. Was he the same way he was in Florida, or did he start acting like a jerk?"

"No, he was really nice," said Annabeth. She smiles fondly at the memory. "I almost let him beat me at Skee- Ball, but I changed my mind. But I let him do that game where you hit the lever with a hammer, and if the weight hits the bell, you get a prize." She ducked under Piper's next punch, feints to the side and then shoves her back with a nice right hook.

"Well, did he?" asked Clarisse, from the back of the room as she easily bench- pressed a hundred pounds.

"Of course. I have the stuffed dolphin to prove it."

"Dolphins are so cute," says Katie, tossing a dagger at a target. "Speaking of which, is he cute?"

Annabeth blushes. "Come on, guys. You know looks aren't important."

"So he isn't attractive, then?" questions Piper playfully.

"No, he is. Very," she says.

..~0~..

"Who are those for?" asks Frank when he sees Percy leaving the 'office' with a bunch of flowers. "Wait, let me guess. Annabeth?" Percy nods.

"Ooh, Percy and Annabeth, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G," sang Connor Stoll. "Firstcomes love, then comes-" continued Travis.

"Shut up, guys," mumbles Percy, turning red. He attempts to change the subject. "So, guys, did that last assignment go okay? I heard that the target was guarded."

"We got out okay," says Connor. "He had a couple Laistrygonians with him, that's all." The assassins often referred to certain types of targets by names like 'sphinx' for a target who had all sorts of complicated forms of security that assassins often had to hack, or 'dracaena' for a female target. In this case, 'Laistrygonian' referred to a target's huge, hairy bodyguard.

"They were pretty easy to take down," adds Travis. "A Level One wearing a blindfold could do it."

"So who's wearing a blindfold now?" asked Beckendorf, who had just entered.

"No one, dude. I was just talking about that last target that Connor and I got assigned to," explained Travis. While Travis filled Beckendorf in on the details, Percy tried to sneak away and walked straight into Nico.

"Hey, Percy. So who are the flowers for?" questioned Nico 'innocently' (Nico was a lot of things; innocent wasn't one of them). Percy sighed exasperatedly.

"Annabeth."

"You mean the hot blonde that you met in a closet?" teased Nico.

"It wasn't like that," said Percy, rolling his eyes. "It was just a weird coincidence that I was hiding in the same closet that she decided to hide in!"

Beckendorf frowned. "You know, that sounds like a pretty weird coincidence. You don't think there was something more to it, do you? She doesn't have ulterior motives?"

Percy went silent as he considered the possibility. "No, I doubt it. She doesn't seem like the type. Besides, what are the chances of that happening?"

..~0~..

"Do you, Percy Jackson, take Annabeth Chase to be your lawfully wedded wife?" droned the judge.

"I do," said Percy.

"And do you, Annabeth Chase, take Percy Jackson to be your lawfully wedded husband?" he continued.

"I do," said Annabeth.

"And now, by the power vested in me by the state of New York, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." Sighs emanated from the crowd as the couple shared their first kiss as a married couple.

The wedding was planned and executed in a precise yet elegant fashion, the same way in which Annabeth executed her targets. After the ceremony, it was time to introduce the in-laws to each other. They had planned to do so beforehand, but had never found time. "Mrs. Minerving, Mr. And Mrs. Chase, I'd like you to meet my mother and stepfather," said Percy nervously. "Mom, Paul, these are Annabeth's parents, and her stepmother."

"Please, call me Athena," said Annabeth's mother, smiling as she shook hands with Percy's mother.

"It's so wonderful to finally meet you," said Sally, smiling politely. "Percy, have you seen your father?"

"I did earlier, but I'm not sure where he is now," explained Percy. "You know how he is."

"You mean he's often busy? I understand. What does he do, exactly?" questioned Athena in that unsettlingly sharp way.

"He's in the boating industry," lied Percy. "His company sells yachts and speedboats."

"Oh, yes. He took us boating once. We wanted to invite you, too, Athena, but wasn't that the day you had that meeting to attend?" remembered Annabeth's father. They exchanged some more polite conversation, then Annabeth and Percy left them to get acquainted.

"Come on," whispered Percy, pulling Annabeth away from the hall that was filled with all their friends.

"Percy, it's our wedding. Won't people notice if we sneak off?" worried Annabeth.

"Yeah, but they'll probably all be drunk in an hour, so no one will know." They slipped away onto the terrace.

Outside, the Manhattan skyline glittered as brightly as the stars against the horizon, and the full moon glowed overhead. It was partially obscured by a few dark clouds, but it shone brightly all the same. In that moment, Percy suddenly felt afraid. Afraid that one day, his secret would find a way to destroy them. He had never truly wanted it to be this way. A part of him wished that he had never become an assassin in the first place. After all, it had never been his choice to be an assassin, nor had it been his choice not to tell Annabeth. Another part said, 'Screw it. Tell her. What's the worst they can do, fire you? He's not going to have you killed, he's your father.' But no part of him regretted his choice to marry Annabeth.

"What's wrong?" asked Annabeth, interrupting his thoughts.

"Nothing," he replied, trying to rearrange his expression so that he seemed calm. "What could possibly be wrong when I'm with you?"

She tilted her head sideways and looked at him. "You're lying. Something's bothering you." He decided to tell her at least part of the truth.

"I'm just a little worried about work. I mean, we're both pretty busy. It won't pull us apart, though. No job is worth losing you." Annabeth gripped his hand firmly and looked him straight in the eye.

"We can make it work, Percy. I wouldn't be standing here in a wedding dress if I thought we couldn't."

He smiled. "Of course we can." He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a kiss.

..~0~..

"Annabeth, may I speak to you about something?" Annabeth paused in her paperwork and looked up at her mother.

"Of course, Mom," she said, getting up and following her into her office. Athena's office was elegantly yet simply decorated: white walls, a matching white desk with an owl carved into the front, and silvery curtains framing the large window, which overlooked the bustling city below. Annabeth had always been in awe of the Level Four offices. Level Four was where the heads of the Skyward Agency (who were referred to by the lower levels as 'Olympians') worked.

"Sit down, Annabeth. I'd like to talk to you."

"Is this about the Swanson affair?" asked Annabeth. The Swanson affair was the main subject of conversation among all the assassins lately. A rich young housewife named Mrs. Swanson had sent a plea to the agency to have her husband assassinated. Since she had no legitimate reason for this, they had turned her away. They didn't think it was fair to kill a man whose only crime was being foolish enough to marry a woman thirty years younger. Unfortunately, Mr. Swanson was found dead, with a strange bullet made of bronze and steel. The agency knew that it must have been a Skyward assassin, but they weren't sure which one. So they were forced to question people.

"Actually, it isn't, but if we have any more luck in solving it, I'll tell you." Athena paused and surveyed her daughter critically. "What I really wanted to ask you about is your husband. How are things between the two of you?"

"Great. They couldn't be better," replied Annabeth honestly. It was true: they had been married almost a year so far, and were enjoying life as a married couple. They'd gotten a house in the suburbs outside of Manhattan, close enough to Annabeth's building and the aquarium where Percy worked as a marine biologist.

"And maybe that isn't the best idea," remarked Athena. Annabeth looked back at her. Two pairs of intense gray eyes met, each trying to pick meaning out of the other.

"What do you mean by that?"

"You know exactly what I mean, Annabeth. I've told you that love disrupts work, especially this kind."

"I've been married for nearly a year. Why didn't you say anything before?"

"I confess, I thought that things would have cooled down by now. But they haven't."

Annabeth looked angry, but she tried to control herself. "So what are you saying? I'm not allowed to have a loving marriage? Or is it just that you don't like Percy?"

Athena replied coolly, saying, "It's nothing against Percy. He's a fine man; it's just the two of you together that are an issue."

"An issue."

"I'm just saying that you shouldn't get too close to anyone. It can be dangerous. I'm only telling you for your own good, Annabeth. Don't let your pride or your love for him keep you from listening."

Annabeth stood up. "I'm sorry, Mom," she said firmly, "But my relationship with Percy isn't going to change. It won't change my work, either. I'm committed to both." With that, she left the office.

"But which is more important?" Athena mused.

End Of Chapter

Author's Note: *The Pavilion was actually the name of an amusement park in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. I went there a few years ago and had so much fun, but now it's closed. :( I used it because I couldn't think of anything else. Also, remember the Swanson affair. It will be important in the future of the story. Finally, since I'm not very good at writing romantic scenes, please tell me how I did. If you have any questions or comments, review and I promise I'll reply.

Review Replies: 

Americano: Glad you liked it. I plan to make this story fairly long, so I hope you keep following.

SexyPurpleBeast: thank you, I try my best. I borrowed a lot of the plot from the movie, but there are some elements that are my own.

Spy102: I hope you liked this one, then. :D

sasaway: I'm definitely going to continue it, because people seem to be enjoying it so far.

WeirdButCool/ Steph: thanks, I'm glad you liked it.

QuietGirl98: I will certainly continue. And I'll make the plot line as interesting as possible.


	3. Chapter 3: A Close Call

Author's Note, Please Read: Thanks to all those who read, reviewed, or favorited this. I'd like to warn younger readers that this chapter involves mentions of alcohol and sexual activity. Please don't read this if you feel uncomfortable with that. Also, I'd really appreciate it if you reviewed. I promise I'll respond if you do, no matter what. Praise, CC, flames: any feedback is welcome. Disclaimer: I own none of the characters.

Chapter Three: A Close Call

About Three Years Later...

"You'll find him him at the club around ten. It won't be hard to find him; he'll be the loudest, rudest one there. Just try to blend in."

"All right. Where's the fastest means of disposal?" asks Percy. Rachel hesitates.

"I'm not sure," she admits. "See, the pre-investigation process was really rushed, so they didn't have time to scope it out." Assassins, when given a mission, usually had a designated time of strike. A pre- investigation team (which were basically a bunch of idiotic interns drawn to the business by delusions of owning fast cars, cool catchphrases, and wearing sexy black catsuits) usually analyzed the place of strike and found the best place to dump the body beforehand. But it wasn't uncommon for them to fail once in a while. Percy frowned a little. Disposal was sometimes the hardest part.

"Are you sure you can't make one of your... guesses?" he questioned, quietly. He didn't like to ask this, because Rachel tended to be a little sensitive about it. But he really, really needed to be in and out as quickly as possible in a location like this. He was pretty sure the company- maybe not his father, but he wouldn't put it past one of the others, particularly Nico's and Hazel's father- gave this to him purposely to test his faith to them over his own impulses. Rachel frowned a little. Only Level Fours were supposed to know about her abilities. Percy only knew about them because he was the first one she'd told about them. They'd been in high school at the time, and he'd started noticing odd things about her: the way she opened the door before he knocked, always knowing when to bring an umbrella, knew who was calling before looking at the caller ID, and played the right hand at the right time if they played poker. Small things, but when they were taken together, they could only mean one thing. Yes, Rachel was psychic. And she used her abilities to help out when they needed to make a tough call.

"All right. Well, I have a pretty good feeling about the northwest- facing wall. Maybe there's something beside there?"

Percy grinned. "Thanks. I owe you one, Rachel."

..~0~..

The Same Day...

Annabeth mentally reviewed her assignment as she prepared for tomorrow evening. She was to go in, dressed as one of the dancers. She'd told Percy that she was working late (because that was technically the truth). As it turned out, so was he, so he'd be less likely to call her.

She took the outfit out of the bag and examined it, briefly wondering where the rest of it was, but she supposed it was necessary to blend in. Okay, she thought. Here's the plan: go in at quarter to ten. You'll come out and try to find the dracaena, and distract her with something. Then, she follows you off and you do what you have to do. Get rid of her and get out fast. She wanted to get out as fast as possible, because firstly she thought the whole idea undignified, and secondly because she felt like it was was too close to cheating.

..~0~..

Later that day, Percy left the 'Research' building of the aquarium and went to meet Annabeth. She was in the car outside, waiting for him. "Hey," he says brightly, winding his arm around her waist and pulling her close to him.

"How was your day?" she asks, kissing him on the cheek.

"Boring. You?"

"Well, now that you mention it, it was pretty eventful. Remember that extension to the mansion that I told you about? Well, it turns out that they actually want to use a new kind of support. It's sort of like titanium, but more flexible, and I was really surprised at what you can do with it..." Percy contentedly listened to her babble about architecture as they left Manhattan and headed towards the more suburban areas of New York. For all her efforts to seem otherwise, Annabeth was totally a nerd at heart. Not in a bad way, though; actually, he though it was kind of hot.

He pulled into the garage of an elegant light blue two story. It had large, high windows and decorative columns on the porch.

"What should we do for dinner?" asks Annabeth as they enter the house. Usually, they took turns, but it was a Wednesday. On Wednesdays, they always made dinner together. Percy thought for a moment.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"I always have a pretty good idea of what you're thinking," teases Annabeth. "Breakfast at dinner?"

"Yes!" His enthusiasm at something so simple reminded her of a small child on Christmas morning. But not in a degrading manner; on the contrary, she found it rather endearing.

"What are you, five?"

"Yes."

"Well, that cancels my plans for tonight."

"What plans?"

"Never mind."

"Tell me!"

"Maybe later, after dinner," she replies playfully.

They planned to spend the rest of the night making pancakes, but they got a bit distracted and ended up ruining them completely and nearly setting their kitchen on fire. So they ordered pizza.

"This is all your fault, you know," says Annabeth. They've just finished eating, and are getting ready for bed.

"You were the one who was supposed to flip the pancakes,"Percy reminded her.

"Well, it was your idea to make them. It wasn't my idea to start making out on the kitchen table."

Percy frowned. "So you didn't like it?"

"I never said that," she replies, suddenly changing tone. It's so natural for her that he smiles. In fact, it was was so natural for them- the banter, the half- scolding, half- flirting, the smirking, the eye- rolling, the happiness- that it was easy to forget that it was only a facade.

..~0~.?

He enters the building according to plan. The place is packed with rowdy, drunken idiots, as expected. He watches as two men, obviously not in their right minds, started screaming at each other over a lollipop they had gotten in fifth grade.

"It was mine!" yelled one guy, swinging a poorly aimed fist at his companion.

"No! You took it!" accused the other, leaping onto the first guy and biting his shoulder. The first guy flailed helplessly, and in an attempt to free himself, smashed into a wall and passed out.

The weirdest part was, no one seemed to care. They were all too busy watching the dancers. There were about fifteen in all, wearing what looked like red monokinis with sequins and fringe. They all had masks and really high heels on, and Percy wondered how they could even walk, let alone do- well, whatever it was they were doing. He was trying his best not to watch all the various slutty activities going on. He was trying hard not to watch, but one of the blond dancers looked strangely familiar. He wanted to get a closer look, but he remembered his mission and continued looking for his target.

One man stood out among the crowd. He was loud, dirty, and obnoxious. He attempted to run onstage, but the bouncer pushed him off. Percy recognized him as Derrick Procrustes, or 'Crusty' as he was often called. He was known to be mentally unstable, but few realized he was an actual psychopath. Which was why the agency had deemed him too much of a threat to be kept alive. Percy made his way over to Crusty, pretending to be drunk.

"'Scuse me," he slurred, "Couldja help me... find the... Uh, exit?"

"No." He'd expected this answer, and so decided to move to Plan B: Improvise. He sent Crusty a solid right hook to the jaw. Crusty got angry. "Who do ya think you're messin' with, punk?"

"The jackass who won't show me the exit, you smelly bucket of nose drool!" yelled Percy. He'd never quite mastered the art of insulting.

"Maybe we should take this outside, pal," growled Crusty, cracking his knuckles menacingly.

In the end, Percy dragged Crusty outside and chopped his head off.

He looked in the direction Rachel had suggested and found a suitable place to 'clean up'. He was just finishing up when he heard the sounds of someone approaching. He didn't stick around to find out who it was, and instead got in the car and headed home.

..~0~..

Annabeth stood on the stage, half hoping the floor would open up and swallow her. There was nothing more embarrassing than this: standing scantily clad in this disgusting place. She did the stupid dance that everyone else had to do, while scanning the floor for her target.

She hadn't had much time to do research, but she knew the woman went by the name of Medea. She was wanted in six states for murdering six different husbands. But she had apparently spent all her money away and was reduced to this.

Annabeth almost pitied her. Almost.

When a man tried to jump onstage, Annabeth used the opportunity to cover Medea's mouth, then proceeded to knock her out, and drag her away. She took the body into an alley and finished her off.

When Annabeth was done, she realized she had made a crucial mistake: she didn't know any disposal sites. '_All right, calm down_,' she thought. '_Check the sides of the building.'_ Nothing there. _'Um, what about the parking lot?'_ Nope, nothing there either.

Suddenly, she heard a noise, and hurried to investigate. Just as she arrived, she saw someone slip off and run to the main street. She would have liked to investigate, but she had no time, so she just cleaned up and left the second she was done. No point sticking around.

..~0~..

Percy was getting ready for bed when he heard Annabeth come in. She had a long coat on and looked tired. "How was work?"

She looked up at him and shrugged. "Boring. You?" He shrugged nonchalantly.

"Same. I'm going to bed."

"Okay. Goodnight."

"'Night, honey."

..~0~..

Review Replies: Guest/WeirdButCool/Steph: thanks for commenting. Glad you like it so far!


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: sorry for the wait! And about the formatting last time: I don't know what went wrong. I typed it correctly using the notes app on my iPad, and then i just copied and pasted the words into one of the documents that I had already uploaded. I guess the iPad's not very useful when it comes to updating, but I had to use it because I didn't have access to a regular computer at the time. Thanks for all the reviews and support, here's the fourth chapter. This is where the plot starts to take off.

Chapter Four:

A few days after the mission, Percy was filling out some paperwork concerning his last mission. Everyone hated it, but it was required that every mission be recorded in case there was anything that seemed suspicious about the situation, or anything that could be used as a warning to others. The paper looked something like this:

Name and Occupation of Victim: Derrick Procrustes, Unemployed

Date and Time of Mission: Wednesday, April 29, 10:00 PM

Time Completed: 10:40

Place of Mission: Nightcrawlers Gentlemen's Club

Site of Disposal: Northwest- facing wall

Injuries to Target (Full Account): [censored for the sake of keeping this story rated T]

It Would Have Gone Better If: nothing really.

Other Suspicious Persons Seen:

Percy stopped at that last one. He considered writing about the familiar blonde girl, but then changed his mind. It was probably an old friend from high school who was down on her luck or something like that.

A loud, crackly voice came over the loudspeaker. "This is a message to all agents. Please report to the meeting room immediately. A very serious event has occurred, and we would like to get the facts out immediately."

"I wonder what that's about," said Hazel, whose desk was next to Percy's.

Percy shrugged. "It was probably one of the Stolls playing pranks again. Come on, let's go get it over with."

They followed the rest of the agents to the main meeting room. It wasn't what you'd expect to see at an assassin agency. It was a long room that seemed to be made of some kind of gray stone. Fossilized seashells were embedded into the rock, and the floor was made of light green marble. Twelve gray pillars, six on each side, supported the ceiling (Percy knew this because he had counted them during many boring meetings) and there was a raised platform at the front of the room.

On this platform stood six people. One of them was Percy's father, Poseidon. These people were known as Level Fours. They were the heads of the agency, but they usually only showed up when something important was happening. In fact, Percy didn't think he'd ever seen all six at once.

"Whatever happened, it's probably something to do with those illegal missions," said a voice from behind them.

Percy turned around and found himself facing Reyna, another Level Three. "Probably," he admitted. "I can't think what else could be serious enough. Well, that or we're under attack by aliens."

"Aliens? Well, with our luck I wouldn't be surprised," joked Frank, joining them.

"No, I was actually saying that- oh, never mind. They're ready to talk now."

Percy's father had stepped up to the front of the platform. His expression was hard and stern. "Attention, everyone. I am sure you are all aware of the recent outbreak of unauthorized missions."

A murmur spread through the crowd. Poseidon cleared his throat and continued. "Yes, well you may recall that these missions were all completed using a similar type of bullet, one of bronze and steel. Now, common sense requires that you use the least distinctive types of weapons possible. Yet these people seem to have gone out of their way to send a message to us.

I want you all-" his eyes swept over the room, seeming to say to every person, 'And this means you!' "- to be on alert for any kind of signal that this group is giving. Watch anyonw who you think could be behind it. At this point, we do have some idea of who could be behind this, but we will not alert you until it is completely certain. You see, we don't need to spread any kind of unnecessary panic. That is all." With that, he and the other Level Fours turned and vanished through a small door at the back of the platform.

..~0~..

Annabeth sighed in frustration. This was the fourth time that she'd tried to hack into the hidden files in her mother's office. But as it turned out, technology wasn't exactly her thing. Dammit, she was so sure that she'd be able to find-

"Looking for something?" asked a smooth voice from behind. Annabeth nearly fell off the chair in surprise. She gave him a glare that would have had a lesser man cowering in a ball, screaming for Mommy. Luke, of course, didn't even blink.

"What are you doing here?" she demanded, trying to make up for being caught off-guard.

"Relax, I'm not going to tell or anything," said Luke, sliding onto the seat next to her. "What are you up to?"

Annabeth hesitated at first, but she knew that she could trust Luke. "All right. It's about those bronze and steel murders. You know, the ones that are usually rejected cases that end up completed? I have an idea of who could be behind it."

Luke's face turned serious. "What do you mean?"

"Do you remember when we first got recruited, and they mentioned something about Skyward's origins?"

"Sort of. It started out as one large weapons company, but during World War I, they started hiring some of the workers to demonstrate the uses of the weapons. Right?"

"Yes, and then the workers got so skilled at using the weapons that they started hiring them for war missions. The missions went so well that the government wanted to hire them, but they refused. After that, some of the workers banded together and broke off from the main company to create Skyward."

"Okay... And what do you think is do important about that?"

Annabeth sighed. "I think there's something a bit off about the numbers. Originally, there were twelve workers who got sent on missions. But only six started Skyward."

"So what happened to the other six? It's not like they decided to form their own company or something... Wait!" Comprehension dawned on Luke's face.

"Exactly."

..~0~..

A Few Hours Later

When Annabeth walked into their house that night, something was off. She could just sense it: the slight draft from upstairs, the way the rug in the hallway was just a tiny bit off center, and that unexplainable, feeling that they weren't alone.

She put her hand out to stop Percy from walking in too loud. Percy noticed her expression and realized it too. He mouthed, 'Upstairs?' and she nodded slightly. Almost instinctively, he crept up the stairs, skillfully avoiding the creaky ones. He was surprised to see Annabeth following him, her footsteps nearly soundless.

They reached the second floor and continued on to a smaller, more rickety set of stairs that led to the attic. When they reached the top, Percy gently pushed the door open and-

"AAAAAAAAGH!" screamed the pathetically small man as Percy tackled him. Annabeth picked up a length of cord and quickly bound the man's hands behind his back and tied his feet to one of the beams in the ceiling. The burglar hung upside down awkwardly, looking distinctly uncomfortable. He let off a string of hostile swear words directed at them. Percy and Annabeth looked at each other.

"Here's his bag," said Percy, picking up a sack. He dumped its contents on the floor and found a portable DVD player, an iPad, some fancy silverware, a wallet, and for some strange reason, an assortment of TV remotes.

"I'll go call the police," Annabeth suggested, and ran downstairs to get the phone.

..~0~..

"Well, it seems you got lucky," said Officer Dawlish. "It was good thinking on your part to notice it. Not many would have, seeing as he was about to escape from the attic when you were just walking through the front door."

"Thanks, Officer. Did you find out who the TV remotes belonged to?" asked Percy.

"Apparently, some of your neighbors have been missing theirs for months, but never reported it because it didn't seem like a big deal."

"We're just glad we could help," said Annabeth. "Thanks again for coming."

"No problem. Have a nice night." The police cruiser pulled out of the driveway and left.

..~0~..

Later That Night

Annabeth put the last dish away and was about to go to bed, but then thought better of it. There was something that was bothering her, and she needed to check it out before she could sleep.

She went up to the second floor, and was about to continue up to the attic when she nearly ran onto Percy, who was coming down the stairs.

"Just checking on the attic," explained Percy. He felt a little guilty about lying to her, but that was sort of the truth.

"So..." she started, trying to sound nonchalant. Deep down, she hated herself for doing this, but she had to be sure. "Where'd you learn to sneak around like that?" inquired Annabeth casually, leaning against the stair rails.

"Where'd you learn to tie people up like that?" countered Percy. He was bothered by the question- was she getting suspicious? But the fact that she tied a man up like she'd been doing it for years bothered him more.

"Answer the question."

He's a little surprised by her tone- it was unusually sharp- but two can play at that game. "You can't tell me?"

"You're the one avoiding the question." Her stormy gray eyes meet his and hold them in a deadlock.

He took a step down, refusing to break eye contact. "Why do you need to know?"

She moved up a step, and now they're on the same level. "Can't I just ask a simple question?"

Their faces were almost touching, and to an outsider, it might look as though they were about to kiss.

He stepped back and laughed casually, as if nothing happened. "See, when I was a kid, I went to this summer camp, and we always used to sneak around and prank the counselors. I got pretty good at it, so I guess it just stayed with me."

She smiles, pretending it's all good, and says, "Yeah. I learned that in Girl Scouts."

He nods his head and starts towards the bedroom, thinking that either Girl Scouts were way more badass than they seemed, or Annabeth was lying.

..~0~..

Review Replies:

The Goddamn Dark Night: Sorry. I went back and fixed the formatting, so it should be okay now.

DauntlessOne: Like I said before, I fixed the formatting, so it should be okay. And I'm really glad you're liking this.

alexis: Thanks, it's always nice to hear that.

TLOS00: Sorry again. I do know how to space the lines correctly, but the formatting got screwed up. I'm glad you liked the story, though.

envelope123: thank you for taking the time to read carefully and offer helpful advice. I was trying to refrain from making it too sexy in order to keep everyone in character, but you're right, it could be more exciting. The only excuse I can offer is that the plot hasn't really kicked off yet (the tension is just starting to rise, after all) but I know I can do better, so thanks for pointing that out.

airsandgraces: I love your penname! And I'm so glad to hear that you liked it.

WeirdButCool/ Steph: thanks so much for your review, I think you're the story's first recurring reviewer!

Annabeth-Athena'sDaughter: Thanks for your review. On the penname- this account is one I share with my sister. We chose the name by having each of us pick our favorite word. She picked 'apocalypse' and I picked 'cerulean'. So I'm Cerulean, or 'Lea' for short. And no you don't sound egotistical when you say that you usually offer a lot of CC. It's actually a good habit, because it helps a lot in English class. I don't think this fandom is fading- in fact, it's getting stronger with the new series- but I do see quite a few cliches, and I try to avoid them. Thanks for your great review, it really means a lot.

foreverandalwaysdark: Yes, that's where the idea came from. I saw the movie, and John and Jane kind of reminded me of Percy and Annabeth. Annabeth and Jane are both really tactical and on top of things, whereas John and Percy are more laid- back. They're really different, but I can see Percy and Annabeth in a similar situation.

Guest: Sorry it couldn't have been sooner, but here it is. :)

Feyora: Thanks for taking the time to read everyone else's reviews and come up with some good CC. I'm trying to hold off on the Percabeth a bit, because part of the point of the story is about how lack of communication and secrets can really weaken an otherwise really good pairing. Have you ever seen Pretty Little Liars? Although it gets a bit overdramatic


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: thanks for all the reviews and favorites that this story has been getting, it really motivates me to keep writing. Here's Chapter 5. Also, I'm going to start writing from different POVs, instead of must switching between Percy and Annabeth. So just to clarify, Beckendorf and Silena work for Atlantis (Percy's company) while Luke works for Skyward (Annabeth's company).

A Week Later

Somewhere Just Outside of Manhattan,1:30 AM

"What a crappy neighborhood," observed Silena, peering around at the dilapidated apartment buildings, littered streets, and ancient, broken down cars. It was the kind of place that made most people hide their valuables and try to walk away really quickly.

"What did you expect? A Fifth Avenue penthouse?" teased Beckendorf as they crossed the darkened street. They ran into an alleyway and crept their way up the fire escape of a boarded- up apartment building.

"No, but really, they could totally fix this up if they wanted to," she remarked casually as they climbed. "Like, a fresh coat of paint on the window frames would definitely-" she paused as they reached the third floor window. "What was that?"

Beckendorf stopped, too. The window, like all the others, was boarded up, but they could definitely hear something going on inside. "I'm not sure. It sounds a bit like-" Then suddenly, BANG! They heard a series of gunshots, and they ducked down as the boarded- up window was kicked violently open. A blond guy in his twenties leapt out. He saw them, and didn't look at all surprised to see them. He jumped off the fire escape and hit the ground running.

"Hey! Get back here!" yelled Beckendorf, and he and Silena chased him over the fence at the back of the building, through another alleyway, and into another street. The guy had a huge head start, though, and was a pretty fast runner. He streaked down the cracked sidewalks like a bullet shot from a gun. But as the guy jumped over a trashcan, he came down hard and got his jacket caught on a fence. He tossed it off quickly and kept running.

Silena grabbed the jacket. "He dropped this." Beckendorf stopped and looked at it.

"Well, let's take a look."

"Did you think he looked familiar?" Silena wondered.

"Maybe, but I didn't really get a good look at his face."

"So you didn't see his scar?"

..~0~..

The Next Day

Skyward Agency, 10 AM

"So when I got there, there were these two people already there. They'd already killed my target, so I tried to get out of there ASAP. But I dropped my jacket, and I think they may have found it," explained Luke to the head of the company, who was called Zeus. Zeus wasn't his real name, but the agents had nicknamed him that a long time ago, and it stuck. No one could pronounce his real name, anyway. His office was on the top floor of the building, and gave its occupants a dizzying view of the city below.

Assassins rarely went to the head of the board to discuss missions, but this was a special case. Considering the trouble they'd been having lately, any mission that didn't go right went straight to the head. Zeus frowned and leaned forward in his chair. "And can you in any way identify the two?"

"No," admitted Luke. "But I went and examined the site afterwards, and I found my target already dead. But the weapon used was clearly a bronze and steel bullet."

Zeus's eyes flashed with comprehension at the news. "So they were part of the same group that have been completing unauthorized missions."

"Probably. They definitely weren't from our agency, though."

"That leaves only one option, then."

..~0~..

After Work

Aquarium Parking Lot

Annabeth parked her car by the aquarium and sat there, lost in thought. It seemed that her suspicions had been correct: the other workers from the original company had indeed started their own company. Her mother and the rest of the agency's heads had confirmed that this morning.

"We have always known about the existence of this rival company," Zeus had explained in his address to the agents that afternoon. "But we have kept our knowledge under wraps to prevent any unnecessary rivalries from developing. However, we have reason to believe that they are completing the unauthorized missions that we have been concerned about lately. These missions are an abomination! They are not protectors of civilians, as we are. They are little more than mercenaries! Remain on the alert for any more of their activities."

He had seemed so furious about this, it would've been comical if he wasn't so menacing. Annabeth could totally see where Thalia got it from.

She waited in the car for Percy. She was getting a bit annoyed now, shouldn't he be here? She pulled out her phone and was about to text him when she saw him approaching the car.

"Hey," he said, getting in the car. He seemed rather distracted and kept looking out the window.

"What are you looking for?"

"Nothing."

"Why were you so late?"

He shrugged. "It was a busy day. They called a meeting."

"About what?"

"Nothing really." She felt really annoyed for some reason. It was like he was on Mars, and she was trying to talk to him from Venus. She felt as if she was missing a huge chunk of his life... But then again, she couldn't talk.

..~0~..

Percy was getting annoyed by Annabeth's questions. He couldn't help it if he couldn't tell her more. He would have liked to, but the fact was that he just couldn't. Plus, what Beckendorf and Silena had found out could lead to potentially dangerous situations, which made telling Annabeth anything an even worse idea. Besides, he had enough reason to believe that she was hiding something from him lately.

Speaking of which, the idea that there was another agency, which had branched off from the same company but which was responsible for unauthorized missions made his head spin.

..~0~..

Later that Evening

The Jackson House

Percy tossed and turned a lot that night, but he just couldn't sleep. When he was a teenager, he always had these strange, unusual nightmares that were mostly about Greek myths coming to life. He hadn't had one in years, but for some reason, they had returned tonight. He'd woken up, heart pounding, half thinking that a chimera's jaws were inches from his throat. Maybe it had something to do with the uncomfortable feeling that he was missing something important, but it could've been anything. Finally, he slid out of bed, carefully so as not to wake Annabeth.

He wandered downstairs in the pair of old sweatpants that he usually slept in. He picked up the TV remote and started flipping through channels, trying to find something to watch. But as anyone who's ever watched late night TV knows, the only shows on at 2 AM are infomercials and ancient reruns.

It was slightly colder than usual, so he went into the hallway closet to find a shirt. It was a walk-in closet and fairly large, so he flipped on the light and went in, feeling his way carefully through the racks of clothes, old shoes, and bookshelves that didn't fit anywhere else. Suddenly, he tripped over something lying on the floor. He tried to grab the bookshelf to steady himself, and ended up knocking over a strange old owl statue that was lying on top. There was an odd sliding noise, and a panel opened up in the wall.

Percy jumped up and peered through it. He couldn't really see much, except that it seemed to be a tunnel going downward. Cautiously, he climbed through, and found himself standing on a platform built into the side of what looked like a very small elevator shaft. There was a ladder coming off the platform, and Percy decided to climb down and see what this was. He'd tell Annabeth about it in the morning. Maybe.

He stepped on the ladder and began climbing down. He couldn't see anything but the light from the open panel above him, which was just enough to illuminate the top rungs of the ladder. He wondered how far deep this went. Part of him felt a little uneasy about this, and he hoped that this wouldn't end up like an episode of the Twilight Zone. Actually, this sounded a lot like one. He could picture it now: "Percy Jackson, a man who believes that his wife has been hiding something, finds a tunnel in his house one night. Little does he know that he's gotten a one- way ticket to... The Twilight Zone!"

Finally, just when he thought the ladder would never end, he felt his foot touch solid ground. Strangely, it was soft, like there was some kind of carpet over it. It was pitch black, and he could barely see the open panel at the top of the ladder. He felt for the wall, and found what felt like a light switch. He flipped it, and light flooded the room. He turned around to see what the room looked like and found himself staring down the barrel of a shotgun.

No one was holding it, of course, since it was mounted on the wall. As he looked around, he noticed many more guns on the wall. Not just average guns, either. There was a huge variety: rifles, pistols, Tasers, tiny ones that could fit in the pocket of someone's jeans, and ones that were as long as his arm. And not just guns, either. There were knives, too. All kinds of them: ones made for throwing, hunting knives, tiny daggers, and Swiss Army knives.

In short, this place was a secret weapons warehouse. Percy himself had one in the toolshed out back. But this definitely wasn't his. And it definitely didn't belong to the previous owners, because the equipment looked far too new. That only left one person. And somehow, when Percy turned and saw her, he wasn't too surprised.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

..~0~..

End Of Chapter

Author's Note: Mwahahaha! I know you'll probably all hate me for this, but I couldn't resist. Feel free to tell me if you love it, hate it, think I'm being lazy by giving you a cliffy, or just lazy writing in general. I try to use writing advice whenever it's given to me, so please don't hold back if you have any. I want this story to be well- written and enjoyable.

Review Replies

foreverandalwaysdark: I'm not sure i understand. Did you like the chapter, or not?

Guest: Great! I'm glad you liked it.

The Avian-Olympian: that's the part i like best. You have no idea how much I'm looking forward to writing that. In this story, it's going to be stretched out over a few chapters, while the other characters have their own little subplot.

bookworm2468: well, here it is! Hopefully I can do another before school starts.

Crazy Otaku Fangirl: Great! Thank you :)

waZZ88: glad you like it, I'm definitely going to continue.

WeirdButCool: yeah, that's pretty much it. The demigods are divided kind of randomly, but it should be easy enough to follow. Glad you're liking it so far.


	6. Chapter 6: We've Got Issues

Author's Note: Sorry for the huge cliffhanger ending. I felt really guilty about it, so I'm not going to do it again for a while. I would really appreciate some constructive criticism on this chapter, because it was fairly emotional, and I need to know if everyone was in character. So here's the chapter. :D

Chapter 6: I Think We Can Admit We've Got Issues

Percy was a pretty impulsive guy. He was known for experiencing the unexpected, and then reacting in a way that was even more unexpected. Whatever happened, he always did something. He'd never thought himself to be the kind of guy who stands there with absolutely no idea of what to do. Until now. He stood there, honestly not knowing what to say or do. He racked his brains for anything, some sort of rule, half- forgotten advice, a memory that would give him some sort of notion of what to do in this situation. He found nothing. Annabeth, standing across from him, still wearing pajamas, cleared her throat. "So, um... What exactly are you doing here, anyway?" she asks again, less sharply this time.

"Oh. I, uh, actually I was just looking for a shirt, and then I knocked over the owl and this hole opened up in the wall, so... Yeah," he finishes lamely. There's silence as each tries to figure out what to do.

"So you're one too," Annabeth says flatly after a while.

"A what?"

"You know what."

"Yes," he says quietly. "How did you know?"

"I found this," she explains, pulling out a ticket stub. He takes it and realizes it's from the club that he went to, the one where he killed Procrustes. "I thought I saw someone that night. It looked like they were cleaning up after an assignment. And you weren't home that night either, so I figured it was you."

"Wait. So the blonde in the stripper outfit was actually you?" Percy regrets saying it as soon as it slipped out, but he thought he saw a smile flicker across her face. Percy's mind was recovering from the initial shock, and suddenly it occurred to him that he should ask Annabeth about the unauthorized missions. But he was hesitant to do so. What had happened tonight could have easily gone so much worse, and he didn't want to push his luck.

Annabeth was thinking along the same lines. But she realized that they'd have to talk things out sooner or later. "Percy?"

"Yes?"

"Look, I think we can both agree that we've got some issues."

"You can say that again."

..~0~..

The Same Night

Central Park, NYC

Kirk Welling crouched behind a tree, shivering and cursing his father, who had made him an assassin for Skyward. Sure, the pay was good, and it was a hell of a lot more interesting than most jobs. Still, that didn't make up for moments like this, hiding behind a tree in the middle of the night, in the cold, waiting to kill a drug dealer who probably wasn't going to show up anyway. He pulled a hat down over his unruly blond hair, zipped up his uniform jacket, and waited.

Meanwhile, Rikki Sanders was clinging to the top branches of that same tree, completely unaware that there was anyone below her. Sometimes, she really hated her life. And her job. And her mother, who had convinced her to work for Atlantis. What other job would force you to cling to the branches of a shaky tree on a windy night, waiting to kill some minor drug dealer? Sure, she was small, so the tree wasn't that likely to break, but still. Not exactly the way she'd prefer to spend her night.

At the base of the tree, Kirk stiffened, sure he'd heard something.

At the top, Rikki, thinking the same thing, carefully pulled her shotgun from her jacket and held it at the ready. She shifted around in the tree and looked toward the ground, trying to see if anyone was there. And there was someone at the base of the tree, someone with messy blond hair and a jacket that looked awfully familiar. A shiver ran through her spine as she realized where she had seen a similar jacket. It was exactly like the one Silena and Beckendorf had found. Which meant, if she was thinking clearly and not being paranoid..._ No._

_ No. Impossible_, thought Kirk as he stared up at the top of the tree._ It can't be. I'm not important enough that they'll send someone to track me_. But there she was, at the top of the tree. Watching him. She was obviously an assassin, because very few others could have stayed at the top of the tree for so long, silently and unmoving. But she definitely wasn't from Skyward. The worst part was, she was watching him.

_Oh, God,_ Rikki thought faintly. _He's watching me._ Their eyes met. For a few seconds, they just looked at each other, sizing up, judging. For a moment, it seemed as though they would just put down their guns and walk away.

But then their training kicked in. Rikki's grip on the tree loosened, and she swung down agilely and landed on a lower branch. Kirk leapt up and fired at her, but she seemed to anticipate that and dodged. She whipped out her own gun and fired a round of shots at him, which bounced off his bulletproof vest and then he ran, firing back at her.

She leapt down from the tree and chased him through the deserted park. It was pitch-dark, but she didn't want to risk turning a light on. So the chase continued in cold, dead silence, across winding paths and deserted playgrounds.

Kirk stopped, gasping for breath. He seemed to have lost her, and he crouched in the shade of a large oak, praying that he wouldn't see her. For several long, terrible moments, he waited.

Rikki lay flat on her chest in a tunnel at the park, waiting to hear footsteps. She was hoping beyond all hope that he'd simply give up and go home. She just wanted to go home right now, just go home. Finally, she couldn't stand it any longer, and sprinted away.

Kirk, from his hiding spot behind the tree, noticed her as she ran, but by the time he did, she was out of range, and had too much of a head start to pursue. He sighed with relief, and waited a minute before slipping off.

..~0~..

The Next Morning

Skyward

"We are at war."

The words, spoken by Zeus that morning, seemed to bounce around in Annabeth's skull. Combined with the events of last night, it seemed almost too wild, too unbelievable. Yet there was no evidence that this was a dream. The facts were all there. The assassin who had been attacked by a member of the rival company had no reason to make up a lie about what had happened. Although it was true that she didn't know Kirk well, he wasn't the type to lie- he was far too nervous. Yet, there was something off about the whole thing.

Annabeth paced nervously around her desk space, thinking hard. For one, she couldn't quite understand why the rival company (a little voice in her head thought, Percy's company, but she pushed it away, determined to confront the thought with logic only) would want to attack Skyward. Sure, assassination wasn't exactly a big business that could support multiple agencies. Getting rid of Skyward would eliminate competition. That part made some sense. But going to the extreme of actually attacking agents made no sense at all. Especially when you considered the fact that they had gone so long without any contact. The whole situation was like a child's tower of building blocks. The individual facts were right, but they were arranged in a way that didn't look quite right. And finally ( she couldn't hold the thought back any longer) what did Percy have to do with any of this?

Sure, he had acted kind of clueless last night, but how long had he known? Maybe he had known since he had married her, and the only reason he had done that in the first place was to spy on her? For once, she didn't know what to do. She'd left the house shortly after their encounter, hoping to have time to think. When she eventually showed up at work with circles under her eyes and her hair half- combed, she'd wondered if she should have stayed and talked things out. Now, indecision filled her mind. She imagined a little man with two faces standing in front of several doorways, demanding, "_Well, Annabeth? Choose your side... Do you accuse your husband? Hear him out? Do you just ignore it?"_

She sank into her chair and tried very, very hard not to sob. Why, why her? She couldn't believe that she had let herself love him so easily. And it had been _too_ easy. She should have realized sooner. She had always been careful with her feelings, but the_ one_ time she actually let herself fall in love was the one time it had really hurt. Fate was cruel.

..~0~..

The Same Time

Atlantis

When Percy heard about the attack, he tried to convince himself that it wasn't true. Because if the rival company had declared war on them, and Annabeth was in the rival company- No. That wouldn't happen. It couldn't. His father had said that morning that the rivals were also the ones who had been completing the unauthorized missions. Percy couldn't believe that Annabeth would work for a company like that, but the fact was staring him in the face. She couldn't have betrayed him. No, that wasn't possible.

Maybe she had infiltrated them, and was acting as a spy in a plot to bring them down. Or maybe she had been forced into it, and was being blackmailed into staying. Or maybe she was just a very minor assassin and didn't know the intense wrongs her employers had committed. Somehow he couldn't see that happening, but whatever. He could accept anything but the idea that the woman he had fallen in love with was secretly plotting against him. Because (his heart was hammering in his chest at this point) if none of these explanations were true (as much as he wanted to believe them, none of them made sense) then the only possible explanation was (at this point, he'd have to face it) that she had known he was an assassin for years. She was Annabeth after all, and it wasn't like her not to realize his true identity quickly. She had acted surprised last night, but that could have easily been an act. The worst part of all this was, even though she'd betrayed him, he couldn't help but admire her.

After all, it was all a pretty good act. Brilliant, really, the way she had looked at him like no matter what, he was the only one who ever mattered. And the way she had kissed him- he could hardly tell that it had been fake. And especially the way she had told him that she loved him. That was probably the biggest lie of all- and the one he had fallen for completely.

..~0~..

End of Chapter

Author's Note: well, on that happy note, leave a review telling me what you think. I'm sort about the slow updates, school takes up a lot of time.

Review Replies

RandomnessMe: yeah. I kind of regret the cliffhanger now. I won't do it again for a while. Like, it'll be at least 10 chapters before I do another one. I'm so happy that you like the story, though. I feel like this fandom has a lot more cliches than most, so i tried to do something a little different. But if you've been having a hard times finding good fics, i'd be happy to recommend some stuff.

Avian Olympian: I freaking love subplots. Except when there are so many that it's hard to understand. But I feel like subplots give the story more depth.

LittleMissMusical: it's always nice to hear that! Thanks. And I will try to update more quickly.

XxThisMyFriendIsAPenxX: is your pen name a reference to the quote from the movie? And yes, people totally underestimate Girl Scouts. Everyone thinks they just skip around selling cookies, but really, who knows what goes on at Scout meetings?

WeirdButCool: Wow, you liked my cliffy? That's a first!

foreverandalwaysdark: Yep. Exactly, my friend.

QuietGirl98: Thanks! Sorry about the wait.

wisegirl1800: I'm hoping that this chapter got really interesting. And sorry for the slow update.

The Goddamn Dark Knight: thanks. I'm hoping this chapter really takes the action off.

Agent Astro Zombie: I haven't seen the full movie, but I've seen parts, and I try to keep the feel of the movie without making it predictable. I'm glad you like it so far.

Moonbeam Ray: yeah... I feel kind of bad about it now. Still, glad you like it.

BloodyNightMare999: Thanks, glad you like it.

book freakz: yes I am. [insert evil laugh]


	7. Chapter 7: Let the Games Begin

Author's Note: You all have no idea how excited I was to finally write this chapter. This is where the serious plot stuff start to come in, and so does the fun. Enjoy! Also, I'm sorry about the lateness of the chapter, but give me a break, my birthday's tomorrow!

**Chapter Seven: Let the Games Begin **

When someone cries for a long, long time, there comes a point where one has to stop. It's impossible to cry for so long, and eventually one must get up and have to carry on. As Annabeth's tears finally subsided, the logical side of her kicked in. What was she to do now? The though threatened to bring fresh tears to her eyes, but she stayed firm. It was time to do something drastic. She picked up her bag from where it had been lying under the bathroom sink and sifted through it until she found what she was looking for: a barely- used container of foundation. Annabeth usually never bothered with makeup, but she had to admit that it had its uses. It was good for covering bruises and scars that might lead to awkward questions, and for hiding the fact that you'd been crying.

After she had gotten rid of any trace that she'd been crying, she gathered her blond curls and swept them up into a tight ponytail. She almost never wore it like that, not since she was a teenager.

Before continuing, she quickly made sure no one else was in the bathroom and locked the door. She knew everyone else was in the meeting room, but she couldn't take any chances. She then went to the second stall from the right and shifted a certain tile on the wall from the right to the left. A compartment popped open in the wall, revealing a generous stock of weapons. She first selected a small knife that Luke had given her and slid it up her sleeve. Next, she took out what looked like a few straps with small round objects hanging on them. She pulled up her pant legs and secured the grenade belt around her calves. Two more daggers were strapped to her thighs, and two shotguns and three pistols went into her purse. As an extra precaution, she took some three-inch long spiked projectiles and braided them into her hair.

She turned to the mirror and examined her appearance. _I'm not sure what's coming,_ she thought, _but I'm ready for anything_.

..~0~..

Atlantis Agencies,

The fountain room

The large marble fountain in the middle of the room splashed and bubbled peacefully. Normally, Percy found that this had a calming effect. Now, though, nothing could persuade him to calm down.

"Percy?" called a voice. He turned and saw Rachel.

"Oh. Hey," he said. _Act normal. Act normal._ "So, what's up?"

"Your dad's looking for you," said Rachel, scrutinizing his expression carefully.

Percy straightened. "What? Why? What did I do?"

"Nothing. Don't worry, no one found out that you were the one who taped that 'Kick me' sign to Nico. He just wants to talk to you."

Percy frowned. That almost never happened. He'd always had a pretty distant relationship with his dad. As a kid, he'd seen him a few weekends every year, and although they'd had their share of 'man to man' conversations, they'd never actually gone to the trouble of setting up time just to talk. So this bothered him a bit. And was there a reason he was doing it now? "Okay, I'll go."

He and Rachel left the fountain room and went downstairs to the meeting room.

"Do you want me to wait for you?" asked Rachel.

"No thanks. I'm not sure how long this will take," explained Percy. He entered the long room and crossed straight to the gray stone platform at the end and went through the small door at the end. He was met with a choice of six more doors. One was wooden and had a caduceus carved onto it, and another was metal and had steel rivets on it. There was one was light pink with a crystal doorknob, another a deep purple color with vines carved into the edges, and one gray one with fossilized seashells, like the walls. At the left, there was a black and silver door, but he ignored that. He opened the gray one and entered his father's office.

His father looked up from his desk. "Percy, come in. I have to speak to you about something important." As usual, his expression was rather unreadable. It was always hard to tell whether he was pleased or angry, and he would shift between the two randomly. This had a tendency to make people nervous.

"What is it, Dad?" Poseidon paused as if hesitating to say something, but then continued. "Percy, this will probably be very shocking to you, and I'm sorry about that, but I don't have time to beat around the bush. The problem is, I've just found out that your Annabeth's mother is part of Skyward."

Percy just sat there. Annabeth's mother was part of Skyward... And so was Annabeth... Which made the possibility that she had married him knowing he was an assassin so she could spy on him a whole lot more likely. He swallowed nervously, trying to regain control of his expression. "How long have you known?" he choked out.

"Not long, son. Only a few hours ago. Listen-" But Percy didn't hear the rest. He was already out the door. "Where are you going?" called Poseidon.

"I have to go do, uh, something. Okaynicetalkingtoyoudadbye." With that, he turned and ran back into the meeting room and out the double doors at the end.

"Don't do anything stupid!" yelled his father after him. Percy didn't hear that either. But with Percy being Percy, it wouldn't have made a difference if he had.

..~0~..

The Jackson House

7 PM

The house stood as high as ever, but something had changed about it. The clouds hanging overhead seemed darker, more menacing. It stood in shadow, with ivy creeping up the sides as if threatening to swallow it.

Annabeth, waiting up in the attic to get a better view of the street, sent a quick text to Percy:

**Where r u?**

He replied back:

** Almost at the house**.

Sure enough, his car pulled up outside of their house. She watched him step out carefully, and look around to see who was there. The street was deserted. He entered the front door, and she went downstairs to meet him.

"Oh. Hey," he said, noticing her standing at the top of the stairs.

"Hi," she said. Neither of them was smiling. They were both still in their clothes from work: she in gray slacks, a light blue blouse, and black heels, he in a light green shirt and darker tie, but with his old black motorcycle jacket over it.

"So... Where does this leave us?" asked Percy. He was smiling, but his voice sounded cold.

Annabeth's lips curved into an imitation of a smile. She fingered her sleeve. "Right here," she replied, drawing the knife and hurling it with deadly precision right at him.

He was quick, though, and dropped to the ground as it hurtled over him and imbedded itself in the door. He got up casually and pulled it out. "If that's the way you want it, sweetheart, then sure. But you might want to work on your aim." With that, he pulled out a shotgun and fired.

Annabeth leapt off the staircase, surprisingly agile in her high heels, and sprinted back into the kitchen. She pulled the knives from the carving block and tossed them at his head. He dove down and rolled to the side, and came up kneeling. He fired the shotgun, but she ducked and the refrigerator she had been standing in front of exploded.

"Nice try, honey!" she called sarcastically, leaping onto the island in the center of the kitchen, and lunging off of it and tackling him. Quickly, he flipped over and pinned her hands over her head. She swung her legs over and got on top of him, but he kicked her back against the wall. She aimed a high kick straight for his head, but he ducked and tossed a knife at her. It caught her blouse and would have pinned her to the wall, but she just ripped the fabric and punched him. He stumbled back into the large kitchen window and fell through, shattering the glass and slicing his shirt.

Unfortunately for Annabeth, the kitchen was on the ground floor, and he jumped back up and fired a shotgun into the broken window and ran off into the backyard.

Annabeth lunged into the window after him just in time to see him crawl up the drainpipe like a spider. Instead of following him, she ran around to the front of the house and began climbing up one of the pillars.

When she reached the roof of the porch, she looked around, but saw nothing. She decided to keep climbing up the the roof of the house. It was difficult, but the spikes in the sides of the heel of her shoes helped. She looked around again, but saw nothing. Carefully, she walked across the slanting, dark blue roof, past the chimney, and to the side that looked out over the backyard.

Suddenly, he came up behind her and grabbed her, forcing her hands behind her back as she struggled for release. Everything came up a halt. Her heart was pounding, and she racked her brain desperately, but nothing came.

Percy twisted her arm slightly, and she gave a small shriek. _What am I doing?_ He thought suddenly._ It's Annabeth. Can I really- But I have to. How did it get like this? A few days ago everything was good, and now I'm seriously going to throw her off our roof?_

But Annabeth's instincts of self- preservation still fought. The second she sensed his mind wandering, she seized her chance and twisted in midair, the momentum pulling them both off the roof.

They both screamed as they fell, flailing desperately in an instinctive attempt to stay up. But alas, nothing happened, and they fell nevertheless.

Right into the swimming pool.

Annabeth climbed out of the pool, soaking wet and swearing loudly. She turned around, expecting to see him crawling out of the pool, ready to attack.

Instead, she heard the sound of someone diving into a car and the tires squealing as he peeled out of the street at top speed.

She stomped angrily to the front of the house, and screamed in anger, hurling her left shoe at the window in frustration. Their elderly neighbor, Mrs. Havenfeld, hobbled out of her house with a cane.

"Is everything all right with you two, dearie? I thought I heard fighting." she asked in a quavery voice.

Annabeth looked at her neighbor and smiled politely. "Oh, no, nothing's wrong. Now, if you'll excuse me, Mrs. Havenfeld, I must be going." She stumbled off towards her car, wearing only one high- heeled shoe. "Thank God he's too stupid to slash my tires," she muttered.

..~0~..

End of Chapter

Author's Note: so was the fight scene okay? I tried to keep everyone in character. Next chapter, we'll hear from some other people. Don't worry, You'll find out what Percy and Annabeth are up to, too.

Also, I apologize for taking such a long time to update. But school takes up a lot of my time, and I have tennis afterwards, and then I come home and have a ton of homework to do. For those of you who haven't entered it yet, take my word for it: Junior year of high school sucks.

Review Replies

Monkeypoop: Such a distinctive username! And yeah, lies and the effect they can have are a big part of this story.

BookNerd2918: I hope this chapter brings out more of the intensity. I'll try to update faster, but it's kind of hard.

XxThisMyFriendIsAPenxX: thanks! I'm so glad you liked it, I hope this chapter was even better.

Mrs Percy James Mellark: Of course there's more! Thanks for noticing my technique, I really work hard on it. RandomnessMe: okay, I've actually been trying to avoid the PJO fandom for now, because a lot of people put Mark of Athena spoilers in their summaries and I haven't read it yet, but there are quite a few.

'The Years of Our Titans' by storm- brain : this is one of those, what-if- the-hero-dies-and-the-bad-guys-win stories. Basically, it's about what happens if the titans had won, and who becomes the hero without a prophecy. It doesn't have any original characters unless you count the gods, but it has some pretty complex and amazing OCs, and an actual detailed storyline.

'The Next Generation' series by marykate3000 : I've never actually read this, but my sister(Apocalypse) has and she highly recommends it. It's basically what it sounds: the next generation of demigods.

'Camp Life' by ChalkFourOne :It's a completely hilarious story of everyday life at camp. It has a lot of OCs, but plenty of original characters, and it's hilarious.

'Verge' by FoalyWinsForever : a Chris/Clarisse story. It tells Chris's story in the Labyrinth, and what I really like about it is that it shows that the minor characters matter, too, makes you realize that they may actually have a reason to side against the gods.

'Awkward IMs' by iluv2smile : I warn you: you could die laughing by reading this story. It's pretty funny.

'The Mark of Athena' by Flamepaw : I know that there are a lot of MOAs, but this one is one of the best. I find that there are a lot of good oneshots if you know how to find them, but not full- length stories. Somehow those seem to rely on cliche. But not the ones that I've suggested.

The Lazy Bookworm: I totally wish that they could get back together in the last chapter, but they're not going to. Wow... That makes it sound like the story's writing itself. But it does feel like that sometimes. And thanks, I find OOCness annoying, so it's really important for me to keep them IC.

WeirdButCool: having them both think that they'd been betrayed was the only way to have them trying to kill each other, but still be in character. Because let's face it, otherwise the story would have been like this: Percy: "Hey Annabeth! We're both assassins! Annabeth: Yeah, we are! Let's make out anyway! Percy: Okay! And while that is funny, I think that multiple chapters of it would just be boring.


	8. Chapter 8: Everyone Flips Out

Author's Note: thanks for all the reviews, here's the next chapter. Sorry for the wait, but i had some issues due to hurricane Sandy. But don't worry, my updates should be fairly quick from now on. From now on, Percy and Annabeth aren't going to be in the forefront of this story. Don't worry, you'll still see them a lot, but the other agents will be coming in. So now instead of just Percabeth, you'll get some Tratie, a smidge of Hazel/ Frank, Silena/Beckendorf, the occasional Grover/Juniper, a bit of the Jason-Piper-Reyna triangle and some other stuff. Happy New Year!

Chapter Eight

Atlantis Agencies

The Next Morning

Rachel paced the floor of her office nervously, worried that her suspicions were correct. Percy hadn't shown up this morning, and she was almost sure she knew the reason for it.

Part of her was kicking herself for not seeing it until it was too late. How could she, with her so- called 'special abilities', have missed it? But it didn't work like that. She only saw flashes, hints, of what was to come. She'd always felt like she could be capable of more, but something was missing. It was almost as if she was a radio antenna whose signal was being blocked, and only played bits and pieces of what it could play.

But that didn't matter now. It was clear what had happened: Percy had unwittingly married an assassin from another agency. Annabeth, whether she knew it at first or not, had obviously realized who Percy really was, and she- or her agency- had used it in a conspiracy against Atlantis.

Someone knocked on the door of her office. "I got here as soon as I could," said Beckendorf, entering the office and closing the door. "Is it true? Annabeth is really from Skyward?"

"Yes," replied Rachel grimly.

"Poor Percy," said Silena, who had followed Beckendorf into the office. "I can't believe it! They were so cute together!"

"This isn't the time, Silena," said Reyna, slipping through the door unexpectedly.

"I agree," said Hazel.

"Hey guys," said Frank, "So what are we going to do about Percy? Do we have any idea where he is?"

"Well, I sure as heck don't," said Conner, appearing behind him.

"Neither do I," Travis added, showing up and closing the door.

"Wait a minute!" shouted Rachel. "How did you people get into my office? And why is my office suddenly the Situation Room?"

"That's not important right now," said Reyna, in her best shut-the-f-up-and-listen-to-me-because-I'm-now-in-charge voice. "What's important is finding out what happened to Percy, where he is, and especially what this means for us."

"Do the Olympians know about this?" Frank wanted to know. "Or are they doing the usual 'I'm too important for this' thing?"

"They probably do," said Rachel. "But I think they're more concerned about the rest of the agency. It's harsh, but I guess they don't want to worry about just one person now."

Mixed feelings spread through the group. Almost all of them had experienced this kind of attitude from the Olympians: they never really seemed to give a moment's thought over what happened to any of them.

To be fair, neither did most regular bosses. But the difference here was that 1. Most of them were related to the Olympians, and 2. They didn't just have to worry about coming into work late. It was all too common that an assassin went on an assignment and never came back. At least in a regular workplace, if someone died on the job, there would be some sort of acknowledgment, a ceremony of some sort. But here, the sad truth was that if an assassin was killed on the job, the person's family was lucky if they received a complimentary fruitbasket from the Olympians.

One of the few good things about the job, though, was that the assassins all looked out for each other. In a world where everyone wants to kill you, you might as well make friends with the other faces on the WANTED posters. And this was why another, who had slipped into the room without anyone else noticing, said grimly, "Then I guess it's up to us."

"Nico! Don't do that! Do you really have to scare the shit out of everyone whenever you walk through the door?" exclaimed Silena. She wasn't really angry, of course-just really freaked out.

Nico looked a bit embarrassed. "Sorry. I can't help it. I think it's hereditary."

"Okay, okay. So let's get back to business," said Reyna briskly, trying to regain everyone's attention. "I think Nico's right."

"About scaring people shitless being hereditary, or about taking matters into our own hands?" asked Connor.

Reyna considered the question. "Both, but let's focus on the second one for now. We have to be levelheaded about this, though. First, has anyone gone to his house to look for him? There might be some clues there about where he might have gone."

..~0~..

The Jackson House

A Few Hours Later

"Is this it?" asked Katie Gardner, raising her head from the bush that she and Malcolm had been hiding in.

Malcolm quickly pulled her back down. "Yes. But be quiet, someone might still be in there."

Katie shook her head in disbelief. "Doesn't it look different to you, though?" she asked quietly. She'd been to the house a few times before, but it had somehow looked different then. More inviting, less... Creepy. She couldn't explain it, but now it just looked cold and deserted.

They climbed in quietly through one of the broken windows and found themselves in the kitchen. There had definitely been a fight there- there were bullet holes in the refrigerator.

"Let's check the rest of the house," suggested Katie. They went into the hallway, stepping carefully over the broken vase and trying not to trip over the fallen curtains. Quietly, they tiptoed up the staircase, searching for any signs that someone was still there.

Finally, Katie said, "I'm sure it's empty now, except for us. But I just can't believe it. I mean, I'm seeing it, but who could've suspected that Annabeth, of all people, married the enemy?"

Malcolm sighed. "No one, Katie. I feel like someone should've known, somehow. But how could we have? He definitely didn't seem like the enemy."

"No," agreed Katie. Suddenly, she tensed. "What was that noise?"

Malcolm was instantly alert. He slipped his hand into his pocket, resting a finger on the trigger of his gun. "Shh. I think I heard it too."

Thump. There was the sound of someone downstairs, probably someone clumsy, seeing as this noise was followed by some colorful language. "You're such a klutz," taunted a voice.

"Shut up, Travis," replied the other. "We're supposed to just check the place out, make sure no one's here."

"But Connor, there's Oreos in here!" said the first voice- Travis.

"Are you serious? Pass me a couple."

There was the sound of munching from downstairs as the two apparently took advantage of Percy and Annabeth's absence and stole their Oreos. Katie and Malcolm traded surprised glances.

"What do we do now?" whispered Katie.

Malcolm thought for a moment. "I think we should stay and listen. They sound like a couple of burglars, but they're a chance that they could be enemy. And if they are, maybe we can learn something from them."

..~0~..

Downstairs

The Same Time

Travis and Connor sat in the Jacksons' ruined kitchen, eating Oreos as they surveyed the damage. "Well, we definitely know she's an assassin now. Looks like they had one hell of a fight," said Travis. He frowned. "I wonder if he's still... I mean, do you think he's okay?"

Connor punched him. "Don't say that kind of shit. He's probably fine. Remember that time in camp where he took down that sumo wrestler guy? You know, the one who looked like a bull?"

Travis smirked. "Or the time he stopped that huge fight that time in Harkins Tavern?"

"Or the time he survived a nuclear explosion by jumping in a refrigerator?"

"Dude, that never happened."

"Oh. Never mind." Then, something caught his attention, and he instantly stopped talking. His eyes flickered up to the ceiling. Travis recognized his brother's expression and followed his gaze.

Connor gestured toward the stairs. Travis nodded. "Hey, Connor, let's check to see of there's any clues in Percy's weapons shed."

"Oh, good idea," said Connor loudly, but not so loudly as to create suspicion. "Let's go outside and check."

They walked to the side door of the house, opened it, and then closed it. Then, they tiptoed back to the kitchen and hid behind the island.

"Are they gone?" asked a woman's voice.

"I think so," answered a guy.

"Come on, let's go before they come back." Travis and Connor watched as a man and a woman came down the stairs quietly and sneaked out the door. As they were leaving, Connor took a tiny object out of his pocket and threw it at the two. The object caught on the back of the woman's shirt.

"Nice," whispered Travis. "With that tracking device on her, we should be able to find their headquarters."

..~0~..

Las Vegas, Nevada

Sunset Inn

12 AM

Percy wasn't a fan of Vegas. He'd been there a few times: when he was twelve, when he was sixteen, and when he turned twenty-one. The first time had been bad: he'd gone there on a trip during his summer training camp, and he'd somehow ended up in a strange casino, where the owners decided it was okay to let children bungee jump without supervision. Plus, some annoying eight year old kid kept following him around, despite his older sister trying to get the kid to leave him alone.

The second time, he'd woken up in an unfamiliar club the morning after he arrived, with lipstick marks covering his face. His mom had grounded him for a month after that.

The third time, that annoying eight year old kid had turned into a depressed, sisterless seventeen year old who had run away to Vegas and didn't want to return. Percy had been forced to practically drag Nico back to New York.

Right now, his stay didn't look too promising. But since Annabeth knew he hated Vegas, he figured it would be a good hiding place. So he'd checked into a random, crappy motel and tried to plan what to do next.

He paced the floor, trying to figure out where she would have gone. He was certain that she'd tried to follow him- she wouldn't just give up. But he felt safe for now, because rather than taking a plane to get to Vegas, he'd taken an Amtrak train. It was a good thing he always kept some vouchers with him, because he wouldn't have been able to think otherwise.

It was strange, actually. He should have been angry that he'd been tricked. Instead, he felt hurt. Betrayed. Depressed. Lonely. There was no getting around it: he'd genuinely loved her. But he had been in love with a mask. A beautiful, convincing one, but a mask all the same. And the woman behind it was nothing more than a heartless liar.

As he stared up at the ceiling, something broke through the window and shattered the glass. Quickly, he grabbed a pistol and prepared to fire, but instead, someone jumped him from behind and tackled him to the ground.

"How'd you find me?" he choked out, trying to pry her fingers away from his neck.

She tightened her grip. "You're remarkably clueless, aren't you?"

"And you're way too cocky," snarled Percy. He flipped them over so they were lying sideways, and reached into his pocket and pulled out his Swiss army knife. Annabeth yelped in shock and pain as he drove it into her wrist. As she let go of his arm, he grabbed her shoulders and slammed her head into the hard floor.

Her eyes became unfocused and closed. Percy figured she was unconscious, and quickly went to his bag to get something bigger to finish the job. As he knelt down to search, something slammed across the bag of his head. _He_ slumped forward, totally unconscious.

Annabeth stood over him, holding the ugly lamp like a club. "Cocky's better than clueless," she muttered before tying him up.

End of Chapter

AN: so, I got the Mark of Athena for Christmas... Anyone care to share theories on House of Hades?


	9. Chapter 9: Let's All (Not) Calm Down

Author's Note: Okay, I'm trying to update more often, but it's not working out as well as I'd hoped. I know a lot of you were concerned about how the last chapter ended, so I'll start with that first.

Chapter 9:

If there was one thing all assassins agreed on, it was this: cops were morons. They often made missions way harder than they needed to be. After Annabeth had tied Percy up, the cops came swarming to the inn like flies.

Annabeth swore vehemently; she'd been in such a hurry that she hadn't planned on dealing with this. Quickly, she dragged Percy out through the window and hid in the bushes behind the motel. She held her breath as the cops overhead passed right by the door of Percy's room and went right on to the next one. She exhaled in relief. They'd somehow managed to miss the giant hole in the window and had gone on to the next door.

She watched as they broke down the door of the room across from theirs. It must have been empty, so they broke down the next one.

For once, Annabeth didn't have a plan. She looked down at Percy, who was still lying unconscious at her feet. She could easily just slit his throat and make a run for it. But then again, the cops were right there. Despite the fact that they were idiots, only the most foolish (or the most reckless) would consider killing someone a mere few yards away from them. Annabeth looked at Percy again. If not for the large bruise forming on his forehead, he looked like he could be asleep. He was even drooling a bit.

Part of her wanted to just leave him there, go back to New York, and hope that she'd never see him again. Maybe he would just stay here in Vegas. All right, even in her head that sounded stupid.

So there was only one option. Just take the knife and finish the job. That was it. She'd just do that, and then go back to living her life the way she did four years ago. Okay. Now she just had to take the knife.

With shaking hands, she picked up her knife. Her hands wrapped themselves around the familiar hilt, as they had done so many times before. She clenched her teeth and raised the knife. Something wet was running down her cheeks. She held the knife over his chest, trying to ignore the strange, choking noise that couldn't possibly be coming from her.

Suddenly, a pair of hands grabbed her arms from behind. "You're under arrest, ma'am," growled a voice. "Hey! Get some handcuffs on this one!"

She would have fought, but then a group of cops came running to the back of the motel. Even Annabeth couldn't have taken them all alone.

Of course, Percy chose then to wake up. "Wha-what's going on?" he murmured, pushing himself into a sitting position and squinting up at them. Another cop knelt down so he was at eye level with him.

"You're under arrest, too. Now both of you, be good and get in the car."

..~0~..

Skyward

The Next Day

10:00AM

"Seriously? They tried to use a tracking device?" asked Leo. "Let me take a look at it."

"We destroyed it," explained Katie, for the third time.

"Why? I could have taken it apart and figured out stuff about their weapons!" he protested.

"We were a bit busy making sure they weren't going to shoot at us," replied Malcolm, exasperated.

"Okay, guys, relax," said Jason. He, Leo, Katie, Malcolm, Piper, Luke, Clarisse, and his sister Thalia were all in his office,discussing what had been on everyone's minds lately: Annabeth's disappearance and the conflict with their rivals. "First off, Leo, get off my desk. And can you please put the knife away, Clarisse?"

Both his scrawny best friend and his belligerent co-worker ignored him. Jason looked pleadingly at Thalia, who obligingly shoved Leo off the desk and wrested the knife away from Clarisse. "Okay, so let's get down to business. From what Katie and Malcolm told me, it sounds like the two assassins that Katie and Malcolm ran into didn't know where Percy was, so they were checking out the house to find him. That sounds like they weren't involved in taking Annabeth."

"So it was just Percy who was involved?" asked Thalia.

"Maybe not," said Luke, frowning as he considered the question. "Maybe the two you guys ran into were just out of the loop."

"I don't think so," said Thalia. "If they went to check the house, they were probably friends with Percy, so I think he may have told them about it."

Luke shrugged, but didn't say anything else. Jason noticed Piper glancing back and forth between the two. Jason thought he knew what she was thinking about. A few years ago, Thalia and Luke used to date, but Thalia suddenly broke it off for no apparent reason. Piper had always wondered about this, and although Jason had told her that it was probably nothing, he was a bit curious himself.

"So basically, no one knows what's going on," summed up Clarisse. "I recommend we get more information."

Jason raised his eyebrows at that. "That's actually a good idea, Clarisse."

She nodded. "Yeah. I was thinking that we could track them down, and then torture them into spilling their secrets. See, I saw this show a few days ago, where they used fruit paring knives to cut off a guy's toe, and then forced him to eat it-"

"All right, we get the idea," said Leo. "No need to go into detail."

"I think we can accomplish that without the torture," said Piper. "But I also think we should get some more people involved."

Jason nodded. "So we all agree on that? More investigating? Good. Does anyone have any suggestions on who else to get in on this?"

End of Chapter

Author's Note: Okay, I realize that may not have been very eventful. But I'd like to know: does anyone have any suggestions about who else to bring in? I have ideas, but I'd like to hear some opinions.

Thanks for reading and reviewing.


	10. Chapter 10: Jailbreak

Author's Note: Sorry the last chapter was so short. Thanks for all the reviews. Enjoy this one. Also, I realize that this chapter is late, and I'm sorry about that. I'll explain why at the bottom.

Chapter 10: Jailbreak

They were thrown into opposite holding cells. Percy tried to demand his one phone call, but the guard laughed and told him that they needed to be interrogated first.

Percy had been trained on what to do during an interrogation. He started planning a cover story, but then realized that Annabeth was probably doing the same thing. Only she would be doing her best to make it sound like everything was his fault. He leaned against the wall of the cell, mulling this over. Annabeth's cell was right across from his, separated by a narrow walkway. He could hear her pacing back and forth and muttering something unintelligible. But he kept his eyes trained on the wall, because he really didn't want to talk to her right now.

Now, how would he get out of here? He picked up a plastic spoon that had been left in the corner, and experimentally poked the floor with it. It snapped in half. _There goes my backup plan_, he thought. Then, he remembered to check his pockets. The cops had taken almost everything: his gun, wallet, extra knife, and cell phone. The only thing left was what appeared to be a simply ballpoint pen.

He almost laughed at the irony of it. Of course the cops would take only what looked like a weapon. But one of the first things Percy had been taught in training was that _anything_ could be a weapon: a key, chili peppers, or even a meat thermometer. And burritos. Those were deadly.

Besides, this wasn't just any ballpoint pen. He carefully uncapped it, pointed the tip away from him, and twisted the tip. A sharp, poison-coated spike popped out of the tip. It was only a centimeter long, but he could work with it. Quickly, he began plotting an escape plan. When the guard passed by, he would stab him quickly with the pen (the poison would knock him out for a few minutes), reach through the bars and steal his keys—but there was one problem. _She_ was right across from him, and he knew that as soon as she saw what was happening, she'd scream and alert the guards.

But in a way, they were kind of at a stalemate. She couldn't try to escape, either, because then _he _would alert the guards. They couldn't start a fight, because that would lead to more questions. But if they didn't get out soon, they'd be interrogated and end up in jail for even longer while the police tried to figure out what was really going on.

In other words, they were both screwed.

Unless he did something crazy. They were both desperate. Maybe, just maybe, she would agree to a temporary alliance. Purely for mutual benefit, of course. They'd both escape and go right back to trying to kill each other.

Obviously, he didn't_ want_ to do anything that would help her. But if he stayed in jail too long, and caused an investigation, then he would endanger everyone at Atlantis. He might not agree with their methods sometimes, and didn't care for some of them, but he couldn't bring himself to do anything that would mean risking the ones that he did care about.

He looked over to her cell. "Hey," he whispered.

As he expected, she turned and gave him a death look. Normally, he might have been intimidated, but she was locked up. "What?"

It was the exact same tone she always used when he interrupted her from something important. But he tried to ignore that and replied, "I'm not trying to start another fight, if that's what you were thinking. I wanted to know if you were interested in getting out."

She rolled her eyes. "What makes you think I don't have a plan?"

"The fact that you're still here."

"For all you know, I could be waiting for backup."

"How? They took your phone, there's no wifi, and your agency is back in New York. You can't cause a large diversion, because that could expose you, and you can't try to sneak out, because I'll alert the guards. Face it: we're in the same boat."

She stared at him in shock for a moment, but then quickly regained composure. "Okay… Say I agree. Tell me how you think this would work. We both bust out of here, then make a mutual decision never to live near, see, spy on, contact, or be in any way affiliated with each other ever again?"

Wow, that was quick. He'd been expecting it to take a lot more convincing. Heck, he'd had a harder time talking her into repainting the living room. Deciding not to test his luck (and silently plotting to double-cross her ASAP) he replied, "Yeah, that was pretty much it. So, are you in?"

Their eyes met, giving him another bitter reminder of how badly he'd been deceived. But he refused to break eye contact, and finally she replied.

"I'm in. Now, what exactly was your plan?"

..~0~..

Annabeth wasn't stupid. It was obvious that he planned to double cross her. What he didn't know, though, is that she knew, and that she was planning on triple-crossing him first. But maybe he did know she knew. If that was the case, then her advantage was taken away. Although since she considered the possibility that he might know, that sort of prevented her from being too tricked. But then again, there was a chance that he had already worked out all this before her, and that he expected her to be thinking the way she was. So maybe, he knew that she knew that he realized she knew his plan, and was just bluffing on purpose to confuse her. Or maybe he wasn't trying to trick her, and thought that it was practically understood that they try to kill each other anyway.

_Or maybe_, she thought, _I'm just going crazy. Just be prepared for him to attack right after he's out. And if he doesn't, then attack first anyway._

She had to admit, she was a bit surprised that he had figured out that they were in a mutual situation. It bothered her, because that meant that she'd underestimated him again. It was one of the most important rules for an assassin: never underestimate the other.

Being both wrong and heartbroken didn't exactly help her mindset at the moment, but she had to remember her mission now: Get out, force him to tell her what he knew, and then kill him.

"So here's what I was thinking that we should do," he started. He told her his escape plan.

She shook her head. "The basic idea sounds good, but there are a few details we want to work out if we don't want to get caught." Planning and strategy came easily to her, and it made her feel better to start working something out again, even if it was with him.

Escaping in itself was actually pretty easy. Annabeth's cell door had a window, and Percy managed to distract the guards and steal the keys. While Annabeth got the bars off the window, through a simple application of force at the window's weakest points, Percy sneaked into her cell.

As Percy crawled through the window, Annabeth silently debated whether to run or fight. She had no weapons, but neither did he. And she was fairly resourceful when it came to finding them.

She climbed out of the window and wasn't surprised to see him sprinting away. Without hesitation, she ran after him. It was almost dawn, but the streets of Vegas were dark and deserted, which made the chase all the more complicated.

He dodged around corners, leaped over fences, and ran through alleyways, trying to ditch her, but she was fast. As she closed in on him, he turned into an alleyway and stopped short.

Annabeth skidded to a halt and stopped next to him. What she saw didn't make her feel any better.

The alley was a dead end, and about six people, each dressed completely in black and wearing a mask, stood in front of them. All of them were armed with knives. "No," Annabeth murmured, thinking that Percy had called them as backup. She whirled around, ready to kill, but then noticed his look of confusion.

"Are these guys on your side?" he asked.

"No. I thought they were on yours."

He looked at her quizzically. "You're lying."

"What could I possibly gain from lying about this?"

"Yeah, good point," he replied. "Who the hell are you people?" he demanded, addressing their attackers.

"Great question," said the guy in the middle. "Too bad you won't live long enough to find out."

He threw a knife straight at her. She dodged to the side, but another knife came flying at her barely a second later. She leaped sideways for that one and was forced to roll out of the way for a third. She landed against the wall of the building on the left, where yet another impaled itself on the wall just above her head. She didn't hesitate, pulling it out of the wall and launching herself onto the nearest attacker. The attacker was surprised, and she was able to stab him in the leg before attacking the next.

As she finished with that one, she glanced over to see what Percy was doing. He'd also gotten himself a knife, and had already taken down a couple attackers. As he tackled the next guy, he was on the point of winning.

But as Annabeth watched, the last attacker standing came up behind him, wielding a knife, about to throw it. For a moment, it was as if time slowed down. In that moment, Annabeth forgot pretty much everything that had happened in the past few days. Suddenly, all that mattered was that she stop the attacker before anything happened.

She sprinted across the alley and flung herself at the man who was about to finish Percy. His head hit the pavement hard, and his eyes became unfocused. She was about to congratulate herself when she felt a sharp pain. Annabeth looked down and realized just what she had done. The attacker's knife hadn't touched Percy. Instead, it had wound up plunging itself into her left shoulder.

She sank to the ground, trying not to cry out at the pain. In the background, she heard the sound of someone hitting the ground, hard. She knew that she should try to get away, so she tried to stand but fell back, feeling suddenly dizzy. Of course—the knife had probably come near an artery. In desperation, she pulled the knife out and tossed it to the ground, where it clattered on the pavement.

The noise seemed to attract Percy's attention. He turned around and saw her lying on the ground.

"Well?" she asked, with a grim smile. "You've won. Go ahead. Kill me." She was feeling dizzier and dizzier by the moment, but she stared straight at him anyway.

Shock, confusion, and something else that she couldn't identify played across his face. Suddenly, he knelt to the ground and picked her up.

"What are you doing?"

"I have no idea," he said truthfully as he carried her away from the alley.

End of Chapter

Author's Note and Explanation: Part of the reason why this chapter is so late is that I was making changes to the plotline. See, I'd originally planned on making the fighting between Percy and Annabeth longer, but after posting the last chapter, I realized that the jailbreak scene put them at a stalemate. It seemed like a good opportunity to get them on the path to reconciling, so I took a chance and went with it. But because of this I had to rework the plot a bit, so that took a while. Sorry I kept you guys waiting.


	11. Chapter 11: Watching the Sunrise

Author's Note: Warning: this chapter contains hazardously high amounts of the substance known as Percabeth, as well as smaller (but no less deadly) amounts of the toxins known as 'fluff' and 'emotional love scenes'. Exposure to this chapter may lead Percabeth addicts to react in adverse ways that include, but are not limited to: fangirlish shrieking, uncontrollable giggling, and saying 'Awww!' over and over. The author of this fanfiction claims no responsibility for any of these, but will gladly accept and listen to any comments/complaints about this. Also, I listened to 'Just Give Me a Reason' by P!nk ft. Nate Ruess while writing this. I felt that it fit the way they are in this chapter.

Now that you have been warned, enjoy the chapter.

Chapter 11: Watiching the Sunrise

Wednesday, May 17th (two days later)

Somewhere in the Midwest

Percy woke up in the passenger seat of an SUV that was driving through some unfamiliar mountains. He was confused for a second as to what exactly he was doing there, but then recalled the events of the past few days. After Annabeth had been stabbed, he'd taken her to the nearest emergency room, then left her there and rented a car. He returned to the hospital the next day, where she'd made a quick recovery, and they left quickly before the doctors could ask any questions. He'd driven out of Vegas as quickly as possible, and was relieved when the last lights of the city had faded into the distance.

Now, where did that leave him and Annabeth at the moment? Percy wasn't sure. Since they'd gotten in the car, the only words they'd exchanged were the occasional "You look tired, I'll drive" or "I think we should stop for gas" He glanced over at her and noted that she hadn't pushed him out of the car while he was sleeping. He decided to take this as a good sign.

"What time is it?" he asked, more to break the silence than anything.

"Almost six. The sun should be up soon," she replied, staring straight ahead at the road.

Okay, so maybe she wasn't feeling talkative. But he felt like he should at least keep trying. "How's your arm?"

"It's okay. It's still sore, but I've had worse."

"I'm sorry," he said, and immediately regretted it. Now she'd probably get angry, and the last thing he wanted to do was jeopardize their already-unstable alliance. But if it did end, was it really for the worse? Though fighting was out of the question now, since she saved his life, it didn't mean they had to make up. After all she had put him through, maybe it would be better to just ditch her and try to forget she existed.

But somewhere deep down, he knew he couldn't do that. He had this strange feeling that they were tied together somehow, and that they couldn't do that, no matter how much they wanted to.

Although, if he didn't want to fight, but couldn't leave, what choice did they have? She was still from a rival agency.

He really wished she would say something.

Finally, she looked at him. "You don't have to say that if you don't mean it."

"I did mean it. I mean... You took a knife for me. That's not exactly something you can just brush off. Wait, what are you doing?"

"Pulling over."

A feeling of dread washed over him. "Look, I really don't want to start fighting again. I don't care if you want to leave me here, I just can't anymore."

She stopped the car in one of those side stops labeled 'Scenic Area' and got out. He jumped out after her, and she turned to face him.

"I don't want to fight, either. Did you think I liked it? The past few days, having to spend the last few days feeling like a lovesick idiot for marrying someone who wanted to kill me? No. It sucked, okay?" Her face was flushed with anger now, and she was almost shouting. She would have looked scary, but the tear trickling down her face betrayed her. "If you're so sorry now, don't even bother apologizing. Just tell me what happened. Did you marry me knowing who I was? Have you and your people been spying on us the whole time? Did they tell you to kill me, or did you decide to do that on your own? Tell me, Percy. Because if you don't tell me here and now, then only one of us going to make it back to-"

He cut her off with a kiss. Instinctively, she responded, wrapping her uninjured arm around him and kissing him back.

Finally, she pulled away. "Wait. What just happened?"

He grinned. "I just realized something."

She stepped back warily. "What?"

"We were both wrong." She looked at him oddly.

"Did you get hit on the head back in Vegas?"

"Probably, but that's not the point. So what you're saying is, you didn't know that I was an assassin until recently? You thought I knew and wanted to kill you?"

"Yeah. What did you think I meant?"

"I thought the same thing about you," he said, waiting to see how she would take it.

She stood there, as comprehension dawned on her face. "So when you found out who I was, you assumed I wanted to kill you."

"And when you found out who I was, you assumed that I wanted to kill you. But I never did."

In the distance, the sun was rising slowly over the mountains. The fresh light of dawn illuminated her face as she said softly, "And I never wanted to hurt you."

Then, she ran forward and kissed him fiercely. He clung to her just as tightly, like he never wanted to let go.

..~0~..

They curled up together in the backseat of the car, watching the sun rise over some distant mountains.

"You know," he said to her casually, "This looks almost exactly like those places where the teenagers go to make out in movies."

"You mean the horror movies?" she asked playfully. "Where a psychopathic killer is always hiding in the background, waiting until they're not looking?"

"Speaking of psychopathic killers, what are you going to tell your agency?"

"One: they're not psychopathic killers. Most just got roped into it against their will. And two: I quit."

"Good. I'm quitting, too. I never really wanted to do it in the first place. I knew from the beginning, it wasn't for me."

She reached over and stroked his face gently. "Then what made you?"

He shrugged. This was something he'd never really talked about. "Well, I guess it was because I started training for it very young, because-well, my father's head of the agency, so he insisted. And when I got older, he told me that he wasn't going to force me into it, but at that time I never really knew what I wanted out of life.

"And besides," he continued, "I liked it at first. You have to admit, it's kind of thrilling, with all the cool toys and whatever. But after a while, you get kind of tired of it. What about you?"

She sighed and stared ahead at the sunrise. "I thought that it was what I wanted. See, i didn't want to choose just an ordinary career, and just end up living an ordinary life. I wanted something exciting, different. I thought that it would be... Well, more fulfilling."

"But it wasn't."

"Exactly. It took me a while to realize how much I hated it, but I know now."

A few moments passed until she spoke again. "So where do we go from here?"

"Beats me. I like living in the moment for now," he said, brushing his lips against her jawline.

She smiled in return and met his lips for a moment before pulling away. "No. I mean, do we go back? And then what do we tell everyone? I'm sure that my agency's going to be suspicious of you, especially under these circumstances. And can you stop that? I'm trying to think."

He had continued kissing down her face and onto her neck, while trailing his fingers up and down her arms and sending shivers up her spine. He paused and looked up at her. "Do you want me to stop?" He looked at her with this cute look on his face.

She sighed in exasperation, but couldn't help but smile. "No. Damn you and your helpless baby seal face."

..~0~..

Las Vegas

Later that day, a thin man in a long dark coat could be seen lurking in an alley several blocks away from the police station. Since suspicious men in long dark coats have been known to lurk in alleys, none of the passerby really thought to think anything of him. But had they stopped to give him a second glance, they would have noticed the frayed patch he wore across his left eye.

The man was speaking on a cell phone. "Yeah, somehow they got away," he said into the phone. "What? I'm not sure. It seems like they're working together now." There was a long pause, as apparently the other person expressed disbelief. "No, really. I think they might have figured out what's going on here. Either that, or they'll figure it out soon." Another pause. "I guess we'll have to track them down, though, before they get back to tell the others that it's all a setup. Should we tell him?" He said this last part with a frown, as if whoever this guy was, he was a little bit worried, or even scared, of him. "Yeah, you're right. But we have to get rid of them fast, or he'll get rid of us quicker. Gotta go, i think I see a cop."

At this, the man ended his call and scanned the street warily before walking off into the shadows.

Author's Note: I hope that the romance wasn't too horribly done. As i have said before, it isn't my strong point, and some advice or constructive criticism would be appreciated. Also, next chapter we're going to see a lot of Nico.


	12. Chapter 12: The Traveling Oddball

Author's Note: Hey, guys! Thanks for all the positive responses I got for last chapter. Just to clarify: Nico isn't paired with anyone in is story, because Lonely Nico works out in this story. Besides, I'm not really a fan of any Nico pairings, (except maybe one, and it's not Nico/Thalia or Nico/Rachel, or even Nico/Reyna) because come on, the guy's twelve. It's totally okay that he hasn't found his soulmate yet.

Chapter Twelve: The Traveling Oddball

Wednesday, May 17th

11:00 PM

New York City

Just around the corner of a busy, brightly lit avenue, there existed a weathered-looking and darkened bar/restaurant that looked as if it had been there since the Dutch bought the island of Manhattan for $24 worth of crap. The carved wooden sign above the door read 'The Wanderer's Refuge'.

Inside, there was a creaky but spacious and well polished bar made out of very dark wood, lit by flickering yellow lanterns that hung from the ceiling. At the opposite end of the room, on the left, there was a huge stone fireplace that burned brightly. Tables and chairs were clustered around, and were half-filled with a varied assortment of maybe forty people.

At first glance, these people seemed to be one of the most random groups that one could imagine. They were of all ages, the youngest being around eleven, and the oldest being about a hundred and eleven. Tall, short, dark, fair-skinned, ugly, pretty, muscular, skinny, curvy, criminal, clean-cut, eccentric, geeky, emo/goth- pretty much any combination imaginable, all sitting together and talking. But if one took the time to look closely, there was something remarkably similar in all of these faces. It was a look in their faces, where you could tell that these people had all, in their own way, seen the worst and survived to tell the tale.

At the far end of the bar, there were two dark- haired men, one old, one young. They looked like father and son, and sat there talking in hushed tones over their drinks.

The son, whose thin body was wrapped in an old black leather coat, looked to be in his early twenties. His shaggy black hair contrasted sharply with his pale skin. "So, what brings you here, Father?" he asked quietly.

The father looked around the bar. He looked to be around forty, with the same pale skin and black hair as his son, though his was better-kept and with the tiniest bit of gray. "I was wondering if you could help me with something, Nico."

Nico, who was apparently quite used to his father asking for favors, crossed his arms and assumed a look of suspicion. "With what, Father?" Clearly, he'd had a lot of experience with this, and knew better than to accept blindly.

"It's nothing dangerous, son. It's just very important, and I can't go myself."

"And let me guess: it's top secret and I can't let anyone know."

"Of course. Will you do it?"

"Tell me what it is first."

"You have to agree to do it first." Nico paused, considering this. His dad often sent him to do weird things that were unrelated to his usual assassin mission. While it was true that his father's little 'assignments' were rarely dangerous (for him) some of them were extremely odd. Once, he'd been asked to stand on the edge of a pit and pour a six-pack of Diet Coke into it. And that wasn't even the weirdest one. Some were downright suspicious, like the time when he had been asked to rob a bank, but then drop the money on the corner so that the police would find it. Nico suspected that these seemingly random tasks were all part of a higher scheme, something far more complex and dangerous than he imagined.

So why did he do them, then? Nico had a complicated relationship with his father. Both of them were outsiders, and loners. And it had only worsened when Bianca died. But that didn't mean that Nico didn't want to at least try to have at least some form of a relationship with his dad. Not in a whiny-little-kid-who-just-wants-attention way, but more of a we're-kind-of-stuck-with-each-other-so-let's-try-t o-get-along type of way. Besides, he usually got paid well for this, and he really wanted to find out what his dad was up to.

"All right, I'll do it," he finally agreed. "So what do you want me to do?"

His father passed him an envelope. "Your instructions are in here. Wait till you get home to open it, though. It's going to seem strange, but I'll explain later if you find what I suspected."

Nico was surprised; his father usually never bothered to explain. It must be serious. "Okay, Dad," he responded, putting the envelope in his jacket.

"Thanks, son," sighed his dad, clapping him on the shoulder. He picked up his jacket and exited the bar.

The bartender, who had been watching the two out of the corner of her eye, came over and refilled his glass. "So that's your dad, huh?" she remarked casually.

Nico, who was a regular at the bar and used to the bartender being able to pick up on things, nodded. "Yeah."

"You seem a lot like him." His expression turned darker.

"And that's my problem."

..~0~..

As promised, Nico didn't open the envelope until he got to his apartment. He toyed with the idea of not opening it at all and setting it on fire or something, but in the end, curiosity got the better of him, as he knew it would. He broke the black seal on the envelope (yes, his dad still insisted on using seals, claiming that licking envelopes was undignified) and unfolded the instructions.

1. Go to the southwestern corner of where 3rd Avenue and 23 street intersect. There is an entrance to the basement of an apartment building. Enter it.

2. Once you enter, there will be a hallway. Walk straight down it to the left. There will be several doors, but open only the one at the end of the tunnel. Knock three times and say 'the stars have shone green in a yellow sky'.

3. Do only what you are told. If anyone says anything to you, you may nod or shake your head, but if neither of those will suffice, say that all you know is that Mars is bright tonight.

4. Observe the third chair on the right of the long table. Observe whether or not anyone is there.

5. Once you have seen whether or not the chair is occupied, wait exactly seven minutes and thirty-two seconds. Then, you may leave, however abrupt it may seem.

That was it. Nico was used to his dad being vague, but this sounded suspicious. It sound like there was some kind of secret meeting going on. He wondered if it was possibly some kind of drug ring, but that wasn't his dad's style.

Then again, considering the situation Atlantis was in now, could it be that his dad was somehow, possibly, involved with their rivals? His father had told him more than once that he didn't get along so well with the other heads. Nico didn't know exactly how bad this little rift was, but it may, possibly, have been bad enough that his dad would betray the others. Then where did that leave Nico? He felt compelled to stand by his dad, but what about the others? He'd always felt that some of them didn't really accept him, but there were a few-Hazel, Frank, Rachel, Travis and Connor, Silena and Beckendorf, maybe even Reyna- that he knew considered him a friend. And what about Percy, who had most likely been kidnapped by the others? Nico had been angry with him in the past, but that was past. Most of it was Nico's fault, but Percy had forgiven him and helped him out in situations where few people would have done so. If there was a possibility that this task would betray his friends, then could he really do it?

But then again, maybe it had nothing to do with that. What if Nico's father was actually on their side, and this would help them win the war?

Considering this, Nico made his decision: he would go to the place and complete the task, and then decide whether to tell his father about it.

..~0~..

The basement was even crappier than Nico expected it to be. It was pretty far underground; he'd had to go down four or five flights of stairs. It was also very dark, except for a few flickering lightbulbs hanging from the ceiling, and smelled of mildew. The right branch of the tunnel sloped upward, and was made of cement, but the left side, the one he was supposed to go down, sloped downward and looked like it had been carved out of the earth.

He started down the tunnel, listening carefully for the sounds of anyone else. He encountered a few people, strangers dressed all in black who paused to glance at him, then continued on their way. He passed a few doors, some painted white, some wooden, a few made of steel that looked like something you would find on a ship. Most were silent, but from three or four he could hear people talking, and once, he heard someone screaming from behind a golden door. Once, he even encountered a little blonde girl in a white nightgown, skipping up the tunnel and singing in a foreign language. She looked at him and laughed, then ran away.

Finally, he reached the end of the tunnel. There was a door made out of black wood, with a polished silver handle and a silver knocker set in the middle. Nico, as his instructions had told him, knocked three times, and said "The stars have shone green in a yellow sky."

The door creaked open, and Nico stepped over the threshold and entered. The room was long and low, lit by torches that had been placed in brackets on the stone walls, and there was a long table in the center of the room.

The table was about half-filled with a group of adults who looked like businesspeople. Before Nico could wonder why the hell a group of businesspeople would choose to meet underground, one man said to him, "Ah, you must be the new butler!"

Nico, as his instructions had told him, nodded and tried not to look too confused. He glanced at the third chair on the right, and saw that it was unoccupied. Okay, seven minutes and thirty-two seconds, he thought, glancing at his watch. Let me see what I can figure out in seven minutes and thirty two seconds.

During those seven minutes and thirty-two seconds, Nico was forced to go around and make sure that everyone's wineglasses stayed full, as the people at the table had an intense conversation in some language that Nico didn't even recognize. When the time was up, Nico left without a word. No one really said anything to him.

As he left the tunnel and walked back up the stairs, he wondered what the point of this was. He got the feeling that the reason behind his father's instructions was something so bizarre that he wouldn't possibly be able to comprehend it without being told more.

When he reached the top of the stairs, he was surprised to find his father waiting for him. "Nico! So was the chair occupied?" he demanded.

Nico had the sudden urge to lie, but he had a feeling that wouldn't accomplish anything. His dad didn't seem to have ulterior motives about this. It was probably just another one of his strange side projects. It annoyed him. Was his father insane, or did he not trust him? "No, there was no one in that chair. What did you expect?"

His father sighed. "I was hoping that you would see someone. But I expected otherwise. That's... Well, that's not a good thing."

"What do you mean, that wasn't a good thing?" replied Nico sharply. "Father, is there a reason you constantly ask me to do these things? Or do you just enjoy wasting my time?"

His father's demeanor changed from solemn to angry in an instant. "Is there a reason you question me? Or do you not trust me?"

"I'd like to trust you, but you don't exactly make it easy." H

is dad relented slightly. "All right. I suppose I owe you an explanation. Get in the car, it's a long story and we probably shouldn't discuss it in plain view."

Nico and his father sat in the car for about twenty minutes. When Nico finally got out, he went straight back to his apartment. For a while, he didn't do anything, just paced arou

nd, thinking hard. Finally, he went to the phone and dialed a number.

"Hello?" asked the person on the other end. "Hazel," said Nico, "Call the others. I found out something they're going to want to hear."

"What happened, Nico?" she asked worriedly.

"There's a third agency. And they may have something to do with what's going on."

End of chapter

Author's Note: Okay, let me know what you thought of this!


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